Staff Reporter, Gulf Today

Dubravka Suica, Vice President of the European Commission for Democracy and Demography, lauded the Women’s Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai, the first such pavilion in World Expos’ history, noting that it is a source of inspiration and will support women’s empowerment efforts.

She made this statement during her official visit to the UAE to attend several events related to Urban and Rural Development Week at Expo 2020 Dubai and hold a number of bilateral meetings with Emirati officials.

During her visit to the Women’s Pavilion, she explored the historic and contemporary achievements of women in all areas, in light of the significant progress witnessed by Arab and international communities.

The pavilion is also showcasing solutions and initiatives presented by women to address numerous challenges.

In her exclusive statement to the Emirates News Agency (WAM), Suica lauded the women’s pavilion, which highlights key regional and international issues affecting women and helps achieve women’s empowerment in all areas.

She added she will speak today at an event at Expo 2020 Dubai covering a long-term vision for rural areas, including the impact of demographic changes on services delivery and access.

Meanwhile, The latest instalment of Dubai Chamber’s En Route to the Expo video series Dubai puts the spotlight on smart payments and advanced transaction technologies that are expected to play much bigger role in the way we live and do business in the future.

The video features Khalid Elgibali, Mastercard Division President – Middle East and North Africa, who elaborates on the company’s role as Expo 2020 Dubai’s Official Payment Technology Partner.

“As Expo 2020 Dubai’s Official Payment Technology Partner, the essence of what we are doing is enabling the payment experiences during expo - whether they’re online or on site - to be safe, secure and fast. But that’s just foundational. I think the higher level thing that we are working on - and enabling as well - relates not to today, but to the future, because technology changes by the day and payment experiences and capabilities also change by the day,“ he said.

Drawing attention to Mastercard’s installation at Expo 2020 Dubai – the Priceless Cube – he said feature demonstrates how the power of payment technology will be harnessed to make life safer, easier and more connected for all.

“We are taking the Expo as an opportunity to invite our guests and partners to take a look at the future, to cast their sight years ahead and say, ‘What can it possibly look like, what is possible?’ And we’re doing that by inviting them to experience a multi-sensory experience in what we call our ‘Priceless Cube.’ This gives them a glimpse of the future and what can happen across emerging technologies and in payments specifically, of course,” added Elgibali. Launched in conjunction with Entrepreneur Middle East, Dubai Chamber’s En route to the Expo series has been established to provide a platform for public and private sector stakeholders to highlight their contribution to Expo 2020 Dubai, of which the chamber is the Official Business Integration Partner. The series was launched as part of the Business Connect platform – a dedicated information initiative established to help commercial enterprises in Dubai and the UAE navigate the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

All video released in the En Route to the Expo series, can be viewed here, or on the websites and social media channels of Dubai Chamber and Entrepreneur Middle East.

Meanwhile, the Guangxi Day event for China Pavilion of Expo 2020 Dubai kicked off in Nanning, Guangxi on November 1, 2021. Organized by the People’s Government of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, the event comprised offline activities in Nanning such as opening ceremony of Guangxi Day, China (Guangxi) Business Opportunity Promotion Conference, and cultural performances, as well as online activities including the 7-day China Guangxi (UAE) International Commodity Fair.

The opening ceremony of Guangxi Day consisted of four parts, namely speeches by government officials, online pavilion tour, launch ceremony for both Guangxi Day and “Guangxi Products on Silk Road” China Guangxi (UAE) International Commodity Fair Online, and signing ceremony for projects. Liu Hongwu, Vice Chairman of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, and Ali Obaid Al Dhaheri, UAE Ambassador to China, were present and spoke at the opening ceremony, while Chen Jian’an, Vice Chairman of China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), and Juma Mohammed Al Kait, Assistant Undersecretary for Foreign Trade Affairs at the UAE Ministry of Economy, sent their video messages to the event.

The signing ceremony part involved three projects, namely the USD 3 million daily-use ceramics procurement project between Guangxi Sanhuan Enterprise Group Holding Co., Ltd. and Trading Groups, the cooperation between TWT Supply Chain of Guangxi and UAE Trade Connect, a cross-border e-commerce platform, and the cooperation between CCPIT Guangxi Committee and East African Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture (EACCIA).

At the opening ceremony, China Guangxi (UAE) International Commodity Fair Online was launched to cement the trade and investment ties between enterprises of Guangxi and those in countries and regions along the Belt and Road and thus help increase the visibility of Guangxi brands. The Fair incorporates online display, online promotion, online negotiations, and contactless buyer-supplier matchmaking. More than 100 enterprises would exhibit on the online platform their products in about 50 categories, including building materials, machinery and equipment, hardware and electrical supplies, food and agriculture, engineering, electric power, automobile and motorcycle accessories, home decoration lamps, light industry, consumer goods, home appliances, and electronics. In addition, interested purchasers and exhibitors would be brought together to have “one-on-one” online talks, and online matchmaking meetings would be held in phases for participating enterprises from different industries.

China (Guangxi) Business Opportunity Promotion Conference was held after the opening ceremony. Four government organizations of Guangxi, i.e. CCPIT Guangxi Committee, Investment Promotion Agency, Department of Commerce, and Department of Culture and Tourism, respectively introduced the business opportunities arising from the development of the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, Guangxi’s investment environment and industries, China (Guangxi) Pilot Free Trade Zone, and Guangxi’s culture and tourism.  

Moreover, an exhibition themed “Extraordinary Beauty of Guangxi” was staged at the China Pavilion of Expo 2020 Dubai, so that the international exchange platform offered by the Expo can be made full use of to promote Guangxi’s investment environment, ethnic minority cultures and tourism resources and thus help Guangxi open up wider to the outside world. The exhibition featured both pictures and products, with Guangxi’s promotional film played in a loop. The display of pictures focused on four themes, namely Guangxi’s achievements and plans in the endeavor to develop the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, the achievements and plans made by China (Guangxi) Pilot Free Trade Zone, the high-quality development of Guangxi’s industrial sector, and Guangxi’s tourism resources, cultures and customs.

The display of products covered Guangxi’s intangible cultural heritage, industrial products, products concerning the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, and cultural and tourism products.

World Expos, as expositions of the highest level in the world, provide an important platform to showcase global achievements in economic and social development and boost the understanding and exchanges between different parts of the world. Expo 2020 Dubai is the first World Expo held in the Middle East. As a staunch supporter of World Expos, Guangxi considers it very important to showcase its economic development achievements and promote its opening-up and international exchanges through Expo 2020 Dubai.

The Guangxi Day event focuses not only on displaying Guangxi’s development achievements, but also on incorporating the special elements of the autonomous region to better tell the stories of what Guangxi has achieved, its policies, and its unique charm, so that more people in the world will know better about the products of Guangxi and more businesses will come to invest in Guangxi based on a better and thorough understanding of this autonomous region.