Seven months ago, the United Arab Emirates opened its arms to the world in exceptional and unprecedented circumstances, so that Expo 2020 Dubai can be the world’s great gateway to a healthy world.
Under the slogan “Connecting Minds and Creating the Future”, the UAE launched a new international journey of collective international action, to consolidate a prosperous and sustainable future for all humanity.
The conclusion of the activities of the international event, in which 191 countries participated, marked a milestone in the UAE’s march in terms of the strategic gains it achieved from the successful hosting of the event, which strengthened its leading position at the regional and international levels.
Soft power
Expo 2020 Dubai served as a symbol of the success of the Emirati soft power, its ability to influence others, and its active presence in various countries, societies, and cultures around the world.
The UAE succeeded in mobilizing senior officials and decision-makers in the world through dozens of international conferences and meetings organized by the event to discuss and confront the most prominent challenges the world is facing in various fields and to come up with recommendations and proposals that help draw a road map towards a more stable and prosperous world.
The event included dozens of global summits at various levels, in which senior decision-makers and experts from different countries of the world participated.
The volume of Expo 2020 Dubai visits, reaching up to 25 million visits from various countries around the world, underlines the UAE’s position as a global incubator for tolerance and coexistence.
In addition, it embodied the international confidence in the UAE as an oasis of security and stability, where values of justice, transparency, and respect for the law prevail.
The Exceptional presence of senior global leaders and officials
Throughout its duration, Expo 2020 Dubai became the most important global gathering of senior leaders from kings, heads of state, and government, who visited the event and participated in some of the international summits, conferences, and forums held over a period of 6 months.
During Expo 2020 Dubai, the UAE was able to gather the leaders of the international community in one place to discuss the most prominent challenges facing the world in various fields and to come up with recommendations and proposals that help draw a road map toward a more stable and prosperous world.
The official global presence at Expo 2020 Dubai reflected the UAE’s leading position at the regional and international levels, its influence in international relations, and the ideal role it plays in promoting communication between nations and peoples.
Expo 2020 Dubai was visited by many kings, including His Majesty Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and his wife Queen Maxima, His Majesty Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, His Majesty King Philippe of Belgium, and his consort, and His Majesty King Letsie III of Lesotho.
The global event was also visited by many heads of state, most notably Emmanuel Macron, President of the Republic of France, His Excellency Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of the Republic of Turkey, His Excellency Jair Bolsonaro, President of the Republic of Brazil, His Excellency Ivan Duque Marquez, President of the Republic of Colombia, His Excellency Isaac Herzog, President of the State of Israel, His Excellency Guy Parmelin President of the Swiss Confederation, and many other heads of friendly and fraternal countries.
At the level of crown princes and princes, the visit of His Royal Highness Prince Muhammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister, and Minister of Defense of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of the sisterly Kingdom of Bahrain, HRH Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, were the most prominent, along with dozens of prime ministers in various countries of the world.
By hosting the Global Goals Week, Expo 2020 Dubai witnessed a historical moment, as this was the first time ever for the event to be held outside the United Nations Headquarters in New York, in the presence of senior UN officials who discussed ways to achieve the global sustainable development goals as scheduled by 2030.
During their participation in the global event, senior leaders and officials praised the UAE, which harnessed its resources and energies to organize an exceptional and historic session of the event and to direct it in a way that achieves the desired goal for all the peoples of the world.
Recovery model
With the launch of Expo 2020 Dubai, the world turned the page on two lean years of lockdown due to the global pandemic, to enter a new phase of recovery and strengthen communication as well as international cooperation in the face of the most pressing humanitarian challenges.
The Emirati model’s success in confronting and dealing with the pandemic was the key to the success of Expo 2020 Dubai, despite the emergence of the “Omicron” variant, which swept the world during the international event, the pace of visits and events maintained its upward momentum thanks to the great confidence in the UAE’s health system and the precautionary and preventive measures that ensured the safety of all, in addition to the flexibility and high professionalism shown by all other sectors, which in turn contributed to the overall success of the event.
Economic gains
The UAE economy achieved a set of benefits and advantages during Expo 2020 Dubai, which was reflected in attracting a large number of investors and business leaders from all over the world, establishing global partnerships between Emirati and foreign companies, increasing the rate of tourism flow to the country and aiding the recovery of the hotel sector.
Economic observers expect short and medium-term effects on the country’s non-oil GDP, in addition to developing the base of strategic partnerships with many entities and economic powers around the world, not to mention the positive impact of infrastructure development around the exhibition headquarters.
With the arrival of visitors to the event, the UAE real estate market witnessed a noticeable improvement in the increase in demand for villas, luxury units, and waterfront properties, especially in Dubai. Expo 2020 Dubai also enhanced the quality of transportation services and related infrastructure projects before and during the Expo.
Future foresight
The Expo 2020 Dubai site, with all its state-of-the-art digital and physical infrastructure, will be transformed into “District 2020”, which will develop and expand with the legacy of the international event, within the framework of a unique vision that anticipates the prospects strongly.
“District 2020” represents a unique model for the futuristic city that puts people at the forefront of its priorities, to achieve the requirements of the new global economy based on innovation and talent, supported by the latest technologies and designs that humanity has to offer, for the benefit of all humanity.
District 2020 will integrate innovative applications of the latest smart technologies, such as the Internet of Things, to meet challenges and improve services that help society be smarter and more sustainable.
This unique human-centered physical environment was designed in District 2020, which will be reusing 80 % of the infrastructure and distinctive architectural landmarks designated for Expo 2020 Dubai, to enhance cooperation mechanisms and spaces supporting innovation and ensuring prosperity.
These gains are part of the whole, as the UAE has made many gains through hosting this event, which has strengthened its position as an international center for decision-making and mobilizing global powers to tackle the most important challenges facing humanity.
