An inspiring success story

Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, on Tuesday visited the UAE pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai. Sheikh Hamdan was welcomed by Noura Al Kaabi, UAE’s Minister of Culture and Youth and Commissioner General of the UAE pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai.

During his tour of the pavilion, Sheikh Hamdan said that the far-reaching vision of the UAE’s leadership has been the driving force behind the country’s successful development journey and its rise as a leading global business and tourism destination. Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Chairman of the Expo 2020 Dubai Higher Committee; and Sheikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence and Commissioner General of Expo 2020 Dubai, accompanied Sheikh Hamdan on his tour of the UAE pavilion.

Expo 2020 Dubai, which features the participation of 192 countries, opened on 1 October 2021 and will continue until 31 March 2022. The world’s biggest in-person event to take place since the start of the pandemic and the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia region, Expo 2020 is set to consolidate Dubai’s emergence as a city where promising ideas that can help create a better global future are incubated.

The Crown Prince said the UAE pavilion tells the country’s inspiring success story. “Our incredible story of progress validates our firm belief that modernity and tradition can go hand in hand to create a world-class model of development,” Sheikh Hamdan noted.

He praised the creative design of the UAE pavilion which draws inspiration from UAE traditions. Shaped like a falcon in flight, the pavilion, extending across 15,000 square metres, houses various themed areas such as ‘Oasis,’ ‘Desert of Dreams,’ ‘Ajyal’ (Arabic for Generations), and ‘Dreamers… Achievers’. Sheikh Hamdan expressed his appreciation for the efforts all those involved in the construction of the largest pavilion of the mega event. Located in the heart of Al Wasl Plaza, the UAE national pavilion was designed to be a symbol of the UAE’s bold and daring spirit. An immersive experience provided by the pavilion allows visitors to learn about the unique history and future aspirations of the UAE.

Sheikh Maktoum meets UPS president

Sheikh Maktoum Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, on Tuesday met with Scott Price, President of UPS International, the world’s largest courier company, on the sidelines of Expo 2020 Dubai.

Speaking during the meeting, Sheikh Maktoum said: “Productive partnerships with leading global private sector companies have been a key element of Dubai’s success as an international commercial hub. This ethos of partnership is also reflected in Expo 2020, where we are collaborating with a range of global companies like UPS to create a platform for countries across the world to showcase their greatest innovations and ideas.”  He expressed his appreciation to the UPS President for the role the company is playing as the Official Logistics Partner of Expo 2020 Dubai.

“As an enabler of trade and economic development, logistics is a key strategic sector for Dubai. The importance of this sector was further reinforced during the pandemic when it was instrumental in transporting material that saved lives and livelihoods worldwide. Our initiatives in this industry have played a vital role in catalysing the city’s emergence as a leading economic hub and a bridge between the markets of the east and west,” Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed noted. His Highness further said Dubai will continue to nurture synergistic partnerships with global companies in logistics and other sectors and offer them dynamic new growth opportunities to help them thrive internationally, based out of Dubai.

The meeting was also attended by Reem Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Cooperation and Director-General of Expo 2020 Dubai; Mohammed Bin Hadi Al Hussaini, Minister of State for Financial Affairs; Abdulla Al Basti, Secretary General of The Executive Council of Dubai; and Helal Saeed Al Marri, Director General of the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing. Scott Price said that UPS is happy to be the Official Logistics Partner of Expo 2020 Dubai, a role in which it is handling a range of complex logistics operations for the mega global event.

Separately, over 100 international officials, policymakers and innovators recently attended the first European Union event at Expo 2020 Dubai titled, “EU Green Deal: Research & Innovation as a driver towards climate neutrality”.

The event was hosted in partnership with the Sweden Pavilion in the Sustainability District and featured a high-level hybrid workshop, and an EU projects’ networking village showcasing success innovation stories and breakthroughs.

In his opening remarks, Ambassador Andrea Matteo Fontana, EU Commissioner-General to Expo, said, “The EU is paving a responsible path to becoming the first climate-neutral region in the world by 2050. So, at Expo 2020, we will look at how we can promote green economies, renewable energy, reduce pollution and tackle climate change, thereby ensuring a green economic recovery post-COVID-19.”

The aim of the event, taking place conveniently during Expo’s Climate and Sustainability Week and the EU Climate Diplomacy Weeks currently ongoing, is to highlight the EU’s excellence in research and innovation as a tool towards climate neutrality and sustainability, and the EU’s ambition of cooperating with partners toward the achievement of this global goal.

Mariya Gabriel, the EU Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, in her message at the event highlighted that research and innovation are at the centre of the EU action against climate change.

“While COVID-19 has presented serious challenges to societies, individuals and businesses. There is today an opportunity to use this disruption as a catalyst for positive change: Building back better, greener and in a more gender-neutral way are key goals,” noted Jan Thesleff, Commissioner-General at the Swedish Committee for the participation at Expo 2020, Co-Chair of the MENA-OECD Women’s Economic Empowerment Forum.

Other high-level officials and policymakers addressed the event including Jan Budaj, Minister of Environment of Slovak Republic; Natasa Pilides, Minister of Energy, Commerce and Industry of Cyprus; Dr Hannah Neumann, Member of European Parliament chairing the Delegation for Relations with the Arab Peninsula; Dr. Mohamed Al Rashidi, Director of Electricity & Water Department and Acting Director of Energy of GCC General SecretariatL and Gauri Singh, Deputy Director-General of IRENA, among others.

During the workshop, the high-level experts presented the new EU research and innovation programme (Horizon Europe) and discussed ways to promote and finance clean energy innovation, featuring the ambitions activities of Mission Innovation, a key multilateral initiative in the context of the European Green Deal that the EU is presently co-chairing.

The event also included debates with industry, representatives of research, innovation and financial institutions on financing innovations for the energy transition and on implementing energy transition projects.

The networking village featured successful EU projects and breakthroughs that already help deliver the European Green Deal objectives and climate neutrality, including in partnership with Mission Innovation members.

WAM