Dubai promises that its hosting of Expo 2020 will pioneer new partnerships for growth and sustainability for the future. The emirate has a long history of building effective trade networks and encouraged new ideas and Dubai’s Expo bid is testament to that.
The three sub-themes for its Expo bid are mobility, sustainability and opportunity and the event would enable the global community opportunities to get together and explore resourceful solutions that will drive global development.
Sustainability
Today, substantial advancement in the production, delivery and consumption of water and energy is becoming increasingly significant. Improving access to natural resources through responsible conservation and active supervision are important areas the world should look at. A transition to renewable energy is key to global prosperity and climate change mitigation and oil-rich nations must lead by example, says Dr Sultan Ahmad Al Jaber, Minister of State, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Masdar.
The UAE, a major oil-producing nation, has earned a position of leadership in the global energy markets. The country today possesses the fifth-largest oil reserves in the world, and the seventh-largest gas reserves. “Investing in and generating renewable energy in the UAE will broaden its energy sources and increase the security of its supply. These steps will contribute to the UAE’s goal of transitioning into a knowledge-led and sustainable economy,” he says.
Mobility
Effective logistics and transportation systems make the movement of people, goods and services around the world much easier. As tmarkets develop and work together, new innovations are needed to produce more practical solutions. Sultan Ahmad Bin Sulayem, Chairman of DP World, explains that the complexity of modern logistics networks today is not just about ports; hinterland connectivity is the main focus of attention. “The buzzwords are integration and sustainability, both of which are imperative,” he says.
Opportunity
With the global financial crisis and as more developing countries join the world economy, there is a mounting necessity for new models of sustainable economic development and financial stability.
Through the Expo in 2020, should it win, Dubai is looking forward to devising new means to ensure the flow of financial and intellectual wealth, which will nurture entrepreneurship and innovation. The main emphasis will be on discovering mutually beneficial associations and recognising probable partnerships, which will finally result in a legacy of innovation.
The master plan for the proposed Dubai Expo site is reflective of the bid’s sub-themes. Hilal Saeed Al Merri, CEO of Dubai World Trade Centre, says legacy planning will be deployed at the earliest, leveraging every opportunity to re-energise research, innovation and collaboration across the site, and truly resonating the core principles of the theme and sub-themes.
