The steering committee of the organisers of the Expo2020 world expo which is set to be held from 20 October 2020 to 10 April 2121 in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), is seriously considering putting off the event for 2021 in the face of the worsening coronavirus pandemic. This was communicated by the organisers of the event in a statement issued on 30 March 2020).
“Over the last several weeks, we have been other working hard, both internally and in consultation with key UAE and international stakeholders, to review the ongoing impact of Covid-19 on our plans and preparations for Expo 2020 Dubai,” read part of the statement.
The organisers expressed commitment to ensure that the event went ahead as planned but felt that the timing was wrong given the fact the world is currently grappling with the debilitating coronavirus which has killed over 30 000 people the world over so far.
“We remain firm in our collective aim to deliver an Expo that is true to its time and to our shared, urgent priorities. But it is clear that this is not the right time,” said the organisers in the statement.
The organisers indicated that the pressure to postpone the world expo was coming from some countries whose preparations were affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
“While everyone involved in Expo 2020 Dubai remains firmly committed, many countries have been significantly impacted by Covid-19 and they have expressed a need to postpone Expo’s opening by one year, while they focus on overcoming this challenge,” they said.
“In a spirit of solidarity and unity, we support the proposal to explore a one-year postponement made by the Steering Committee meeting. We will follow the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) processes on making the decision to delay Expo 2020 Dubai. The BIE will now work with its Member States and Expo 2020 Dubai to establish a change in dates.
“A final decision on postponement can only be made by the BIE’s General Assembly. Article 28 of the BIE Convention stipulates that a change of dates requires a two-thirds majority vote from the BIE Member States,” read part of the statement.
The organisers were quick to clarify that the planned postponement was not a cancellation but a response to the need to keep all stakeholders of the event safe.
Zimbabwe is one of the countries which have been preparing for the Expo2020 world expo since last year.
