Expo 2020 Dubai will give UN a platform to inspire
The UN wants to inspire millions of people to come together to tackle the planet’s most pressing challenges.
At Expo 2020 Dubai, the UN will have a high-profile platform from which to deliver its message after being given a dedicated pavilion at next year’s eagerly awaited international event.
Maher Nasser, commissioner general of the UN at Expo 2020 Dubai, said the world fair would allow the organisation to engage directly with young people.
The UN will mark the 75th anniversary of its foundation during the global gathering, which is being held in the Middle East for the first time. The event will run from October 20, 2020 to April 10, 2021.
The pavilion will carry the theme “We the Peoples: Shaping Our Future Together”, tying together the opening words of the 1945 Charter of the UN with the 75th anniversary theme of shaping the future together.
“Youth is a top priority for the UN and with a majority of Expo visitors expected to be young people, the Expo offers a great opportunity for us to engage with millions of youths and young visitors,” Mr Nasser told The National.
“For the UN, Expo 2020 Dubai offers an opportunity to expand our engagement with the public in a region that is geographically far from all UN headquarters.
“The UN sees Expo 2020 as more than an exercise in sharing ideas or raising awareness; it is an opportunity to inspire visitors to think about how they can take part in shaping the future by working together with the UN.”
The UN will be provided with a pavilion by organisers as part of its mission to deliver the most inclusive and international Expo in an illustrious history dating all the way back to 1851.
The UN pavilion in Dubai will have spaces for events, discussions and exhibitions that tell the story of UN programmes to help visitors understand the work undertaken and the people who benefit from its funds.
The UN’s 2030 agenda is focused on sustainable development, with the ambition of creating a better world for all people.
“Life on our planet could have a bright future – or a dim one – depending on whether we work together to solve global challenges collectively and fulfil the promises of Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development, or allow the rise of unilateralism to undermine the spirit of multilateralism; ignoring our achievements since 1945,” Mr Nasser said.