Window to the world • Chapter summary
The best show of Dubai’s diplomatic rise, arguably, is the fact that Expo 2020 Dubai is the most inclusive World Expo to date. As the first Expo event in the Middle East, Expo 2020 Dubai will create a hub of cultural diversity. While we often focus this chapter on Dubai reaching out to the world, this year we also want to touch on how the world coming to Dubai—most explicitly in the form of 192 country pavilions.
In line with 2019’s year of tolerance, the UAE showcased its religious tolerance through His Holiness Pope Francis’ visit. Speaking to humanity and prosperous peace, His Holiness showcased how the harsh conditions of the desert have become the unlikely meeting point for an endless number of cultures and religions. Pakistan’s President Imran Khan, at Dubai’s 2019 World Government Summit, spoke of the region as a growing center for dialogue and intellectual activities. Often denoted the “sleeping giant,” Saudi Arabia is also keen to leverage Expo and its visibility to send a message to the world: that the Kingdom is ready to embrace the world and the consequent economic opportunities. With this aim, Saudi Arabia will have the largest country pavilion at Expo 2020. Whereas European cohesion is being tested, Middle East regional cooperation could very well lead to a shift in global influence. In fact, it is Middle Eastern countries that are expected to fair better in recovering from the impacts of COVID-19.
Beyond the Gulf region, Dubai-Africa relations took a major leap forward with the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s fifth Global Business Forum on Africa (GBF Africa) event in November 2019. Dubai’s ties with Africa are largely founded on trade, and this is bound to continue. Dubai Chamber is expecting trade opportunities to flourish in particular goods, including plastics, rubber, and sugar. Trade relations will be facilitated by DP World, a global enabler of trade, looks to Africa as its number-one market. Recently, DP World has doubled its capacity in Egypt, inaugurated a dry port in Rwanda, and committed to putting Somaliland on the trade map.
But the two geographies are quickly converging toward start-ups and entrepreneurship as a central pillar for enhanced ties. Using GBF Africa 2019 as a springboard, Dubai Chamber is exploring the possibility of expanding into Nigeria, Angola, Uganda, and promising Central African markets. ✖