World Expo 2030 host country selection

The Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), the body that oversees World Expos, is set to select the host country for the 2030 Word Expo this month. The 170-member country and Paris-based entity is set to meet in France on 28 November 2023 for its 173rd General Assembly, where the selection of the host country for the World Expo 2030 by secret ballot will be part of the agenda.

“The host country of World Expo 2030 will be elected by BIE member states gathered for the 173^rd General Assembly taking place on 28 November 2023 on the principle of one country, one vote,” the BIE website explains.

The candidates

Three countries are competing to host the global show and will, therefore, contest in a fortnight’s time. Initially, five countries namely Italy, South Korea, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Ukraine indicated their intention to host the Expo but Russia and Ukraine could not continue with their bids owing to the ongoing armed conflict that has been raging between the two countries since February last year. This has left Italy, Saudi Arabia and South Korea to vie to host the global exhibition.

“Three projects will be considered by the General Assembly for the election of the host country of World Expo 2030: the candidatures of the Republic of South Korea, Italy, and Saudi Arabia,” the BIE says on its website.

The campaigns trail

As part of the three countries’ campaigns ahead of this year’s General Assembly, their governments have been dispatching envoys to the governments of BIE member states.  Since May this year, the three countries have sent representatives to Zimbabwe to solicit for support.

In May, the South Korean government sent to Harare a special envoy, Ho Sung Song to ask for support for its bid to host the World Expo 2030 in its city of Busan from 1 May to 30 October 2030. Song was received by Vice President Constantine Chiwenga.

“Let me assure you that Zimbabwe considers the request for support to host the World Expo 2030 by the Republic of Korea, based on merit. May I also add that these principles have always guided Zimbabwe’s foreign policy and co-operation with other members in the community of nations,” said Vice President Chiwenga in response to South Korea’s request.

In addition to soliciting for support from BIE member states through envoys, South Korea also ran advertisements that targeted viewers of YouTube videos that are popular with Zimbabweans.

Saudi Arabia sent to Zimbabwe its Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Adel Al-Jubeir in October to request the Zimbabwean government’s support for its bids to host the World Expo 2030 and the 2034 FIFA World Cup. Al Jubeir was received by President Mnangagwa. The details of their deliberations were not disclosed to the media.

During the same month, Italy also dispatched a special envoy, Pietro Mininni to Zimbabwe to request for support for its bid to host World Expo 2030.

Zimbabwe’s vote

The three countries have been lobbying the Zimbabwean government for support because the country has been a BIE member state since July 2021. This means that Zimbabwe’s representative at the General Assembly will cast a vote on behalf of the government of Zimbabwe and the contestants know the importance of the vote.

“Zimbabwe participates regularly in World and Specialised Expos and is participating in World Expo Dubai 2020 with a pavilion located in the Opportunities District and themed “The land of great people,” a September 2021 article on the BIE website announcing Zimbabwe’s membership says.  

Italy is bidding to host the World Expo 2030 from 1 May to 31 October 2030 in its city of Rome under the theme: “People and territories: Regeneration, Inclusion and Innovation.

South Korea is bidding to host the global event from 1 May to 31 October 2030 in the city of Busan under the theme: “Transforming our world. Navigating towards a better future.”

Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, intends to host the world exhibition from 1 October 2030 to 31 March 2031 in its capital city of Riyadh under the theme: “The era of change. Together for a foresighted tomorrow.”

Secret ballot

The voting process will proceed under the secret ballot system. Where three countries are involved as is the case this year, a country must garner two-thirds of the total valid votes cast to win the race. If none of the candidate countries gets two-thirds of the votes in the first round of voting the third-placed country is eliminated and the remaining two go for a second round to elect a winner through a simple majority.

The next edition of the World Expo is set to be hosted by Japan from 13 April to 13 October 2023 in Osaka, Kansai, under the theme” Designing future society for our lives.” The previous edition of the event was hosted by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in 2021 and 2022.

Source of pride

Given the huge capital outlay required to build the necessary infrastructure and make other preparations, why do countries vie to host the event? Despite the fact that some host cities like New Orleans had to declare bankruptcy after the 1984 Expo that it hosted flopped due to low attendance and other challenges, some host countries expect to chalk some profit from hosting the global exhibition. For example, in November 2013, qz.com reported that the UAE expected to generate between US$25 and US$35 billion in revenue after expending a projected US$ 6.8 billion in hosting World Expo 2020 Dubai.

Hosting global events such as the World Expo can be used as a strategy to achieve other national objectives. For example, China’s hosting of the event in 2010 was regarded by some experts in global affairs as meant to assert that country’s place on the world stage as an international player.

Where the event is successful, the hosting countries benefit from positive global media coverage and international tourism. These enhance the host countries’ image at home and across the world. Additionally, successfully hosting such a big event is a source of pride at home and prestige on the global stage.