Expo 2020 selects 25 innovative projects

THEY OFFERED SIMPLE SOLUTIONS TO BIG CHALLENGES

A total of 1,175 entries were received from 141 countries

ANorwegian programme to swap plastic waste for financial reward, an online software from Bhutan that calculates healthy, cost-effective school meals sourcing ingredients from local farms and a Cameroonian project to build sustainable refugee camps are among the 25 projects selected in Expo 2020 Dubai’s Global Best Practice Programme.

The 25 success stories — all simple, effective, local solutions to some of the world’s biggest challenges — were selected during Expo 2020’s search for pioneering projects that address the Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs, 17 key targets that form a global plan of action for the peace and prosperity of people and the planet.

The champion projects, from 24 countries include innovative approaches from individuals, communities, academia, businesses, international organisations and governments. They will be showcased to the millions of visitors expected to attend the next World Expo.

The announcement was made at the SDG Action Zone, a space to engage partners for transformative SDG action in new and innovative ways, during an event jointly hosted by Expo 2020 Dubai and the Perthe manent Mission of the UAE to United Nations.

It was held alongside the United Nations General Assembly in New York and comes after a new Expo 2020-commissioned global survey showed that people around the world are united in their desire to create a happier, more inclusive, cleaner planet.Under the theme “Small Steps, Big Leaps: Simple Solutions for Sustainable Impact”, Expo 2020’s Global Best Practice Programme has been founded on the belief that achieving the SDGs by the 2030 deadline requires local solutions to ensure no one is left behind.