UAE, Mozambique explore new avenues for ties in key sectors

Staff Reporter, Gulf Today

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, on Tuesday met with the Prime Minister of Mozambique Carlos Agostinho do Rosário at the country’s pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai.

The meeting was attended by Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai.

During the meeting, Sheikh Mohammed  highlighted the strong bilateral relations between the two nations and their shared desire to continue enhancing cooperation across various vital fields.

The two leaders explored new avenues for cooperation across key sectors, especially investment, to serve the development goals of both countries.

The Prime Minister of Mozambique emphasised the deep ties between the UAE and his country and thanked His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum for the warm welcome and hospitality.

He also highlighted the strong relationship between the leadership of both countries and their keenness to take bilateral relations to greater heights.

Mozambique’s Prime Minister Carlos Agostinho do Rosário commended the exceptional organisation of Expo 2020 Dubai, which is being held for the first time in Middle East, Africa and South Asia region. The mega event brings together people from across the world to discuss ways to create a more prosperous future for humanity, he said.

The meeting was also attended by Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, and Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group; Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum; Reem bint Ibrahim Al Hashemy, Minister of State for International Cooperation and Director-General of Expo 2020 Dubai; Sheikh Shakhbout Bin Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of State, and Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, Group Chairman and CEO of DP World.

 Sheikh Mohammed on Tuesday toured the Sustainability Pavilion and Netherlands Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai. The tour formed part of a series of visits being undertaken by His Highness to pavilions at the mega global event, which features the participation of 192 nations.

Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid began his tour at the Sustainability Pavilion (Terra), which showcases the UAE’s experience and expertise in the field of sustainability. The Pavilion’s canopy accommodates more than 6,000 sqm of ultraefficient monocrystalline photovoltaic cells embedded in glass panels. The combination of the cell and the glass casing allows the building to harness solar energy while providing shade and daylighting to visitors below. The Pavilion hosts a number of events and scientific exhibitions.

The Sustainability Pavilion will enjoy a long life after Expo is over. His Highness was briefed on how the Pavilion will be transformed into a science museum, enabling it to expand on its mission of exploring sustainable practices.

Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid also toured the Netherlands Pavilion, which showcases a circular climate system that harvests water, energy, manufactures rain and produces food, creating a temporary biotope that embodies the fusion between art, architecture and technology. During his tour, he was briefed about the solutions the Netherlands has developed to diversify energy resources and achieve food security.

The Pavilion features a vertical farm that has edible plants on the outside and mushrooms on the inside. Water is harvested from air humidity and used for plant irrigation. The process is powered by renewable energy obtained through lightweight, organic transparent solar cells.

Brazil Pavilion: The Brazil Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai today celebrated the achievement of being chosen as a country which houses three of the seven world wonders and nature attractions– the Iguacu waterfalls, the Amazon, and The Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, built in 1931.

In a ceremony at the pavilion, New7Wonders, the organization that spearheads the voting campaign to select the new seven wonders of world and nature every year from across the world, unveiled specially designed Wonder Markers at the Brazil Pavilion, as part of celebrating and honoring the countries in the new list of attractions and are participants at Expo 2020 Dubai.

The selection process of the new seven wonders of world and nature preceded an arduous process of voting wherein over 600 million voters took part.

Commenting on the achievement, Elias Martins Filho, Commissioner-General for Brazil pavilion at the Expo 2020, said, “We are extremely proud to host New7Wonders at our pavilion and celebrate the achievement of having three world wonders – Iguacu Waterfalls, the Amazon Forest and The Christ Redeemer, the world-famous statue built in 1931 -- out of the total officially voted New 7 Wonders of the World and New 7 Wonders of Nature.”

Bernard Weber, President and Founder of New7Wonders, said: “These are great symbols of unity which respect and celebrate the cultural and natural diversity on our planet. At Expo 2020 in Dubai, where a great number of nations come together, the unveiling of the Wonder Markers connects the heart of Expo directly with all the Wonders across the world.”

“By actively participating with hundreds of millions of votes, people from around the world have defined and given us the official New 7 Wonders of the past two thousand years. And by doing so, all the participants have also created what I call Global Memory: a canon of seven things that every human being can and will remember in the future,” he added.

Congratulating Brazil, the New7Wonders Director Jean Paul de la Fuente, said: “Brazil is uniquely blessed by being the nation with three officially voted Wonders of its own and that it shares with neighbouring nations: the Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer) in Rio, the Iguacu Falls shared with Argentina, and the Amazon shared with another 8 countries. And now this uniqueness is featured with its own special Wonder Markers at the historic World Expo in Dubai. And now everyone can see the precise distance from the centre of the Expo to all of the Brazilian wonders.”

The Wonder Markers are part of the global strategy of New7Wonders to support the visibility and importance of the officially voted New 7 Wonders of the World and the New 7 Wonders of Nature.