It has officially been proposed that the start date of World Expo 2020 Dubai be pushed back to 1 October 2021.
The final decision on a change of dates can only be made by a two-thirds majority vote of BIE member states. The request was made in a letter addressed to Dimitri S. Kerkentzes, Secretary General of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE).
A statement from the BIE said: “In the letter, His Highness Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs & International Cooperation of the UAE, seeks the postponement of the World Expo following in-depth discussions by the Expo 2020 Dubai Steering Committee with the Organiser and the BIE on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and in solidarity with participating countries.”
Following discussions with the BIE, participating countries and key stakeholders, the UAE has proposed that the event starts on 1 October 2021 and runs through to 31 March 2022.
Should the postponement be granted, the UAE has asked that it still uses ‘Expo 2020 Dubai’ as the official name of the event.
