Faced with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide, Expo 2020 Dubai will be postponed by one year until October 2021.
The Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), a Paris-based body behind the world fair, announced today the postponement of Expo 2020 Dubai due to the spread of COVID-19. The postponement had been discussed for several weeks before obtaining the required two-thirds majority threshold of member countries of the Bureau.
This postponement will still have to be formally approved by the BIE, but the majority provided for in article 28 of the Paris Convention of 1928 for a change of dates has been acquired.
The postponement forms part of concerns for the protection of public health; the decision serves to protect the health of the more than 40,000 workers working on the site as well as that of the millions of expected visitors.
The next universal exhibition will therefore take place from 1 October to 31 March 2022, while retaining its name "Expo 2020 Dubai".
According to the economic interest group GIE Luxembourg @ Expo 2020 Dubai, this postponement will not only guarantee better security for workers and visitors, but also allow for better conditions in which to prepare the Expo, which could be a unique opportunity to stimulate economic recovery after the crisis.
