Sierra Leone marks National Day at Expo 2020 Dubai
- Last updated: October 15, 2021 | 22:45
Staff Reporter, Gulf Today
Sierra Leone has celebrated its National Day at Expo 2020 Dubai with a flag-raising ceremony at the stage of nations in Al Wasl Plaza.
President Julius Maada Bio of Sierral Leone, welcomed by Sheikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Cabinet Member and Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, and Commissioner General of Expo 2020 Dubai, was accompanied by first lady Fatima Maada Bio.
The cultural performances included a poem recitation by Wilma Knuckles, a child ambassador, poet, actress and musician, who is an activist for children; and a moving rendition of Amazing Grace by Rozzy Sokota, Khadison Duwai and Andrew James.
Maada Bio said: “I extend my warmest felicitations to the esteemed government and its people of the UAE for demonstrating how a brighter future is possible. It is in this spirit that I urge greater partnership, dialogue and collaboration among nations, as the world tackles the economic impact of Covid-19, especially among our smaller African economies.”
Located in the Opportunity District, the Sierra Leone pavilion, under the theme ‘New Beginning,’ takes visitors on a journey to the west African country, which is rich in natural resources.
Sheikh Nahyan said: “Sierra Leone’s participation in this World Expo gives us a unique glimpse into what this wonderful country and its friendly people have to offer.
“It also allows us to learn more about the unique history, culture and investment opportunities that are available in Sierra Leone, as a future-oriented nation, seeking to create new partnerships for sustainable development.”
National days at Expo 2020 Dubai are moments to celebrate each of the 200-plus International Participants, shining a light on their culture and achievements and showcasing their pavilions and programming.
With Expo 2020 Dubai having opened its doors to the world from Oct.1, the team behind the future transition of the 4.38 sqkm site is set to reveal more of what the human-centric future city will look like, as part of their participation in next week’s GITEX 2021.
From Oct.17-21, attendees will be able to visit the District 2020 booth and experience an immersive fly-through of their vision, which will evolve after the close of Expo 2020.
From March 2022, more than 80 per cent of Expo’s built environment will be repurposed to form a mixed-use community that integrates commercial, residential and cultural neighbourhoods to live, work and explore. Extensive planning of the infrastructure and architecture was undertaken with this future use in mind, where the needs of future workers, residents and visitors was placed at the centre of design. At GITEX, the team will present the plans for the site to be transitioned into an integrated multi-purpose urban community that supports people and businesses to thrive, with a focus on sustainability, balance and well-being.
District 2020 will also present its mission to curate an innovation ecosystem focused that supports growth and resilience in key sectors such as smart logistics, industry 4.0, smart mobility and smart cities driven by advanced technologies including 5G connectivity, AI, IoT, 3D printing, amongst others. As a planned “city of firsts”, District 2020 will contribute to Dubai’s acceleration as a global hub for innovation, integrating a diverse community of stakeholders and international companies – of all sizes – to unlock new growth opportunities and stimulate competitiveness.
Fortune 500 companies, start-ups, SMEs, academia and government organisations will have access to an environment where collaboration, entrepreneurship and creativity are encouraged. Following a short repurposing and transition period after the close of Expo 2020, future occupants will be able to move in to their future work spaces starting from October 2022. District 2020 will also provide a ‘living lab’, a testbed for new and innovative ideas and solutions to be applied in a live urban setting, which will encourage purposeful co-creation.
Alongside world-leading entities that have already signed up, such as Siemens, Siemens Energy, Terminus and DP World, will be innovators, start-ups and small businesses, supported through a dedicated global entrepreneurship programme, Scale2Dubai, which is currently open for applications. Following a process of evaluation and judging by a panel of experts, successful applicants will be announced towards the end of Expo 2020, by March 2022. The first cohort of 80-100 businesses will be able to move into their workspace at District 2020 by October 2022, and will benefit from a range of benefits to help them scale and grow.
Nadimeh Mehra, Vice President, District 2020, said, “We are excited for everyone at GITEX to learn about the future of Expo 2020, and get a glimpse of our vision for the future community through District 2020’s immersive booth. As we celebrate Expo 2020, we’re looking to continue bringing the world together in a spirit of collaboration; and to provide a platform that supports innovative solutions towards a smarter and more sustainable future. We’re eager to present the opportunities for global businesses to be part of our innovation ecosystem, and to engage with start-ups and encourage them to apply to our Scale2Dubai programme as important contributors to the co-creation we’re aiming to facilitate”.
Visitors to GITEX can also expect to see District 2020 participate in talks in partnership with Smart Dubai to share information on the future city of District 2020. Mehra will be speaking on 17 October as a panelist in the Ecosystem Corner. The topic of discussion, ‘Engineering a World-Class Environment for Innovation and High-Growth Firms, will centre on the multi-stakeholder innovation ecosystem and how it will foster growth opportunities.
Meanwhile, Air pollution knows no borders and has become one of the most significant global public health challenges. Despite tangible progress, air pollution still leads to an estimated 7 million premature deaths worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. Pollution is one of the five main drivers of biodiversity loss, threatening today the survival of more than 1 million of the planet’s estimated 8 million plant and animal species. Concerted action is needed to reverse this deadly trend.
Over 50 international officials, policy makers, researchers and business representatives came together to the jointly organised event by the European Union and Switzerland at Expo 2020 Dubai yesterday.
The event, titled “Air Quality beyond Borders: Best Practices in Air Quality management including from the ‘European Green Deal’ - The Business Perspective”, was hosted at the Swiss Pavilion and focused on the private transport and logistics sectors while integrating relevant insights from UAE policymakers.
Swiss Ambassador Massimo Baggi, said in the context of the event:
“On average, an adult person breathes 20,000 times a day. Clean Air is, therefore, our most valuable resource. Switzerland is committed to a regional and international joint effort to reduce emissions and guarantee clean air. Not only do we adopt the EU limit values, but we also contribute to setting them. Switzerland is valued partner in this process, because we contribute by providing good research and innovations on the issue. And if there are emission limits in Europe, sooner or later they might spread around the world, which will improve air quality for everyone.”
This event follows a webinar hosted on 7 September 2021 by Switzerland and the European Union to mark the 2nd UN International Day “Clean Air for Blue Skies”, when a panel of experts comprising policymakers and scientists from the EU, Switzerland, UAE and United Nations, came together. They emphasized the importance of clean air for public health, agreed that policies for clean air are crucial and that regional as well as global cooperation in this field is necessary.
Ambassador Andrea Matteo Fontana, EU Commissioner-General to Expo said in his opening remarks:
“In July this year, the European Union has proposed a comprehensive plan that will deliver our goals of becoming a climate neutral continent by 2050. The decarbonisation of transport sector is central to achieving this ambitious goal. We are committed to a future-proof transport sector, by creating a market for sustainable fuels and technologies, and ensuring broad uptake not only in the EU but globally. Our message is clear, we care, we can, and we do.”
The panel encompassed representatives from DHL Global Forwarding, Lufthansa Group Airlines, Etihad Rail and Borouge. The event was also attended by representatives from the UAE’s Ministry of Climate Change and Environment and Khalifa University to allow for fruitful exchanges between the policy, research and business actors.
Dubai Culture to showcase emirate’s cultural and creative treasures at GITEX Technology Week 2021 and highlight Dubai’s creative economy at GITEX Future Stars
Virtual tours of Etihad Museum and Al Shindagha Museum will be organised.The participation will showcase ‘Dubai’s Culture and Heritage’ on the Google Arts and Culture platform.In line with the Authority’s strategic objective to make culture accessible to all.Participation at GITEX falls in line with the Authority’s commitment to the ‘Digitalising Life in Dubai’ initiative and seeks to strengthen the emirate’s leading position in the field of digital transformation. Inviting the public to join the Authority’s stand in GITEX Future Stars
Dubai, UAE, 15 October 2021: Under the umbrella of Digital Dubai, taking place under the theme ‘Digitising life in Dubai,’ Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture) has announced its participation in the 41st edition of GITEX Technology Week 2021, the largest technology exhibition in the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia that will be held at the Dubai World Trade Centre from 17 — 21 October. Through this pioneering event, the Authority will showcase the innovative technical solutions it has adopted to celebrate Dubai’s cultural and heritage treasures as well as its contemporary innovations that aim to enhance local and global access to the emirate’s cultural landscape and strengthen its global cultural position.