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Coronavirus, Expo Dubai postponed to 2021

Probable postponement also for Expo 2020 Dubai, the opening of which could even be postponed by a year – A necessary choice, requested by countries grappling with the Coronavirus pandemic

Coronavirus, Expo Dubai postponed to 2021

No discount by Coronavirus at Expo 2020 Dubai. As with the Tokyo Olympics, the European Football Championships and many other international events, too the Universal Exposition has to deal with the pandemic. The fear of new infections, the difficulty of continuing work in total safety, but above all the impact of Covid-19 on the world economy, has left no choice but to postpone the opening of the great event until next year.

The hypothesis of postponement was put forward by the organizers themselves, during a teleconference that took place on Monday 30 March, which was attended by the 32 members of the Expo 2020 Steering Committee. The request, proposed to the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), the organization leading the Expo, predicts the postponement of the opening of the Universal Exposition by 12 months which should have been held in the United Arab Emirates next October 2020. The meeting was attended by the Secretary General of the BIE, the organizers of the Expo, the Minister of State for International Cooperation of the United Arab Emirates and the Director General for Expo Dubai 2020 .

The ball is now in the hands of the UAE Foreign Minister. According to the procedure, the Minister must formally submit the proposal to the BIE with the new dates. Furthermore, for the proposal to be accepted, it is required the consent of two-thirds of the 160 member countries of the BIE.

Given that, for the final decision, it is necessary to wait until at least June, during the meeting it was also decided to recommend to all the participating countries the completion of the construction works and the safety measures of the Pavilions, where possible, within the foreseen times.

This is a necessary postponement, to ensure that the most affected countries have time to overcome the health emergency and turn the crisis into an opportunity to revive the global economy.

Also favorable Commissioner for Italian participation, Paolo Glisenti, who sees the Expo as "an opportunity to strengthen relations and international collaboration". With reference to our country, he underlined that "Italy will continue to prepare its participation in the Universal Exposition, together with all the institutions, partners and sponsors, to make this appointment an important opportunity for the country to raise , to attract investments and tourist flows to Italy. From this point of view, the Expo will be of decisive importance in the efforts to support companies in the recovery of economic and productive activity that will follow the health emergency."

The decision to postpone the event to next year is not accidental, given the high temperatures in the Emirates in the summer, reaching almost 48°. The sultry and torrid climate make the months from June to August unthinkable to organize an international event of this magnitude.

A global challenge, which has united all countries in this difficult 2020. Even once the health emergency is over, the scars will be deep, so much so that the world will never be the same again and this Expo could become the occasion for a new beginning.

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