PARIS – Saudi Arabia presented its preparedness, plans, and projects for hosting the 2030 World Expo at the Bureau International des Expositions’ (BIE) 172nd General Assembly held in Paris on Tuesday. This presentation was made ahead of the November 2023 vote which will determine the host city.
In his address, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan — who headed the Saudi delegation participating in the General Assembly of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) in Paris — affirmed that the Kingdom enjoys a unique position as a bridge connecting the North and South, and the East and West. “This position is an important asset for the Kingdom, which seeks to benefit from global partnerships and enhance its international standing through cooperation and collective work with all friends,” he highlighted.
“Our strategic priority in the Kingdom is to present an exhibition that reflects the world to the world, an exhibition that recognizes global diversity and provides an opportunity to organize an Expo that continues the legacy of international exhibitions, at a time when the international community is striving to transition towards a sustainable and more equitable future,” said Prince Faisal.
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He further explained that the world is witnessing numerous shared challenges that require the international community to work together to overcome them, in order to make real progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals adopted in the United Nations’ Agenda 2030.
Prince Faisal said, “The slogan of Riyadh’s bid to host Expo 2030 embodies the concept of ‘Epoch of Change: Advancing our Planet towards Future Prospects,’ which includes various topics related to the well-being of all and climate action.”
He added that Expo 2030 represents an opportunity to enhance collaboration in projects with global impact, and to cooperate in finding global solutions to our common challenges through innovation, sustainability, and inclusiveness, all of which are at the core of the Riyadh Expo 2030 presentation. The Kingdom remains strongly committed to supporting developing countries by providing an assistance program to ensure the representation of a diverse range of nations and cultures.
CEO of the Royal Commission of Riyadh Ibrahim Al-Sultan says Riyadh has already started to expand the city's infrastructure to host Expo in 2030. Riyadh is ready, he said. #BIE172 @bieparis @RCRCSA #Riyadh #RiyadhExpo2030 pic.twitter.com/JC7szTWCrg
— TRENDS (@mena_trends) June 20, 2023
The Saudi minister revealed that Riyadh’s bid to host Expo 2030 includes a package of programs, including allocating $343 million to assist 100 countries in areas such as pavilion construction, maintenance, technological support, travel, and events.
“The Kingdom will work on developing more support programs in collaboration with its leading partners around the world, in addition to private sector companies. This reflects the Kingdom’s commitment to establishing a truly comprehensive global exhibition,” said Prince Faisal.
We are confident in our ability to provide an unprecedented experience to the world, with constant ambition and dedication from all government sectors and across the entire Saudi society. We are grateful to the countries that have expressed their support, and we look forward to the success of hosting Expo 2030.
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan
Princess Reema bint Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz, the Saudi Ambassador to the United States, outlined the Kingdom’s high ambitions and remarkable achievements, promising readiness to host Expo 2030.
Reflecting on the eight years since the launch of Saudi Vision 2030, Princess Reema emphasized the transformative changes the Kingdom has undergone, outpacing the progress seen in the previous 80 years. Riyadh, she remarked, plays a significant role in this success story.
With the world’s eyes increasingly on Saudi Arabia, the Princess projects that by 2030, the Riyadh Expo will attract 40 million visitors, offering a unique cultural amalgamation across various pavilions. She stressed the commitment to prioritizing and focusing on the visitors to the exhibition.
Minister of Investment Eng. Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al-Falih shared insights into the financial scale of the event, revealing a budget of $7.8 billion, a figure central to Saudi’s broader investment plans in Riyadh. Al-Falih linked these plans to Saudi Vision 2030, targeting national investments surpassing $3.3 trillion by the end of the decade, with a minimum of 30% dedicated to Riyadh.
Al-Falih highlighted the Kingdom’s robust business environment, boasting of over 25,000 international companies employing more than 8 million individuals from over 130 countries. He expressed confidence in attracting more enterprises to participate in the Expo project.
Ibrahim bin Mohammed Al-Sultan, Acting CEO of the Royal Commission for Riyadh City, assured immediate readiness to move forward with the Riyadh Expo 2030. He confidently projected the exhibition’s completion by 2028.
“We are ready to move forward immediately, and we are planning to build the Riyadh Expo 2030. I can guarantee the readiness of the exhibition by 2028.”
Ibrahim bin Mohammed Al-Sultan,
Acting CEO of the Royal Commission for Riyadh City
Earlier, Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince, Prime Minister, and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Royal Commission for Riyadh City, met BIE Secretary General Dimitri Kerkentzes. S
The Expo 2030 is seen as a platform for Saudi Arabia to share its story of remarkable national transformation with the global community. The official reception by Saudi Arabia is a part of the nomination procedure for hosting the event.
Three candidate cities for the World Expo 2030 are Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, Busan in the Republic of Korea, and Rome in Italy. The host city will be elected in November 2023 during the BIE’s 173rd General Assembly, where the voting will be carried out via a secret ballot on the principle of one country, one vote.
World Expos, also known as International Registered Exhibitions, are global gatherings aimed at addressing universal challenges. These events, which take place every five years and last up to six months, attract millions of visitors, allow countries to build extraordinary pavilions, and provide lasting transformations to the host cities.
The most recent Expo was held in Dubai in 2020 with the theme “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future”, attracting over 24 million visitors. The next World Expo is scheduled to take place in Osaka, Kansai, Japan, between 13 April and 13 October 2025, under the theme “Designing Future Society for Our Lives”.
