Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman delivers a speech during the Saudi Green Initiative in Riyadh.

Gulf Today Report

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia announced on Friday that it has submitted an official request to the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) (the organizing body for the World Expo) to host the Expo 2030 in Riyadh under the slogan “The Era of Change: Moving Our Planet Towards the Future” from October 1, 2030 to April 1, 2031.

This came in the letter of Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Royal Commission for Riyadh City, to the Secretary-General of the International Bureau of Exhibitions, Dimitri Kerkentzes.

Mohammed stressed that this candidacy is an important and symbolic challenge for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, expressing his confidence in the Kingdom's ability and commitment to establishing a historic version of the World Expo with the highest levels of innovation, and to provide an unprecedented global experience in the history of organizing this global forum.

"We believe that giving first-time bidders the opportunity to organize (the World Expo) will enhance the esteemed role of the BIE as a platform for intercultural understanding and human exchange, and reflect the changing nature of our developing world," he added.

A general view shows the King Fahad main street in Riyadh. AFP

Prince Mohammed affirmed that the world today is living in an era of change and faces an unprecedented need for humanity to unite in light of the challenges of climate change, the Fourth Industrial Revolution, social justice, and even the global pandemic, which necessitates the world to work collectively to anticipate the future, address the challenges and seize the opportunities resulting from this change using better use minds and abilities.

Regarding the timing specified by the Kingdom in its candidacy to host the World Expo, the Saudi Crown Prince said: "Our hosting of Expo 2030 in Riyadh will coincide with a year in which we celebrate the culmination of our efforts to achieve the goals of the Kingdom's Vision 2030."

He explained that Expo 2030 will be a unique opportunity to share with the world our lessons and the results of our efforts related to this unprecedented transformation produced by the vision, which represents a strategic framework aimed at reducing the Kingdom's dependence on oil, promoting economic diversification, and developing public service sectors such as health, education, infrastructure, entertainment and tourism.

Mohammed Bin Salman stressed that Vision 2030 represents “the Kingdom’s ambition for the future, a vision that relied on the unlimited energy of our youth with the aim of creating a more sustainable future for the benefit of future generations,” noting that “the Kingdom had to look to the future, take advantage of its advantages, and unleash its economic potential in all areas.” sectors and fields, drawing on the efforts of its people and working with our partners around the world.”

It is noteworthy that the message of the Saudi Crown Prince to Dimitri Kerkentzes was delivered by the CEO of the Royal Commission for the City of Riyadh, Fahd Al-Rasheed.

The Royal Commission for Riyadh City, which is responsible for the city of Riyadh and whose board of directors is chaired by the Crown Prince, will lead the Saudi bid to host the World Expo 2030.

In December of this year, additional details about the hosting request will be submitted to the BIE in Paris, as the responsible authority on supervising and organizing international exhibitions since 1931.