DUBAI 30 January 2020: Al Wasl Plaza, the heart of the World Expo 2020 Dubai site, was yesterday inaugurated by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.
Their Highnesses said that under the leadership of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE has consolidated its status as a leader in the global arena. The country is a perfect host for Expo 2020, which will promote optimism, hope and collaboration and inspire people to work towards achieving positive change and a better future.
“We will celebrate the accomplishments of the last 50 years. Thanks to the efforts of UAE citizens and residents, as well as all those who have contributed to its success and prosperity, Expo 2020 will mark the start of new 50-year phase of leadership and achievements,” Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid said.
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed said: “Through Expo 2020, we will show the world how our union was the starting point for our development journey, and how our founding fathers established the robust foundations necessary for sustainable development and progress. We will also have an opportunity to demonstrate how the spirit of collaboration is embedded deep in our national ethos and serves as a means for progress and development. The world will also be able to better understand the achievements we have accomplished in the short period since our nation’s foundation, and will learn about our traditions and heritage, our diversity and our experience of peaceful coexistence.”
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid and Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed were briefed about Al Wasl Plaza and the preparations to welcome the 192 participating countries and millions of visitors to Expo. Their Highnesses were also briefed on the various phases of Expo completed in 2019 including major construction projects developed under the three sub-themes of the event. The entire project has achieved 150 million working hours and has 38,000 people currently working on site.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid and Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed toured Al Wasl Plaza following its opening. Serving as the centre of Expo 2020, Al Wasl Plaza will be connected to the three districts based on the subthemes of Expo – Opportunity, Mobility and Sustainability.
Their Highnesses also visited the Expo headquarters and “Terra”, the sustainability pavilion, where they were briefed about the pavilion that showcases the ingenuity and possibility of architecture as our society looks for intelligent strategies for sustainable future living. The pavilion, which approximately covers 25,000 sq m, has 6,300 sq m of exhibition space.
It has been designed to be a net zero energy and net zero water building, which means the pavilion generates all of its own power and water needs. The pavilion has more than 1,050 solar panels arranged on its 130-metre wide canopy and on the locally-designed energy trees (e-trees) that dot the landscape and rotate to face the sun like a sunflower. These can produce four gigawatt hours of electricity per year and have the capacity to charge 890,000 mobile phones.
World Expo 2020 Dubai is set to attract 192 countries, and 25 million visitors, 70% of whom will come outside the country. The event is expected to receive an average of 150,000 visitors a day. Peak day visitor numbers are expected to total 300,000.
