BIE team in Saudi Arabia for Riyadh Expo bid evaluation
RIYADH, March 6, 2023
The Enquiry Mission delegation of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), landed yesterday (March 5) in the Saudi capital to begin its six-day evaluation of the Riyadh Candidacy for World Expo 2030.
Riyadh had in September last year submitted a robust bid dossier under the main theme 'Together for a Foresighted Tomorrow.'
The visiting delegation is headed by Patrick Specht, Chairperson of the Enquiry Mission and President of the BIE Administration and Budget Committee. The others in the team include Dimitrios Kerkentzes, Secretary General of the BIE, and Eva Descarrega Garcia (Andorra), Karen-Mae Hill, OBE (Antigua and Barbuda) and Aldwin Dekkers (Belgium).
The enquiry mission from BIE, the governing body of World Expos, is a mandatory prerequisite for a country’s candidature to be considered for election. Its task, when visiting a candidate city, is to assess the feasibility and viability of each one.
This assessment includes detailed presentations of the project and exchanges with officials and key stakeholders involved in the candidature.
Welcoming the BIE team, Royal Commission for Riyadh City CEO Fahd Al Rasheed said: "This visit will provide a first-hand opportunity for the delegates to witness the support of our leadership, the commitment of our government, and the excitement of the people of Riyadh and Saudi Arabia, to host a World Expo in our capital city in 2030."
"We had submitted a robust bid dossier last September and our candidacy is currently enjoying global support," remarked Al Rasheed.
Over the course of the next five days, members of the Enquiry Mission will engage with ministers, members of government and subject matter experts, to evaluate the details of the Riyadh Expo 2030 bid.
Its theme outlines a vision to create a unique and collaborative platform for global problem-solving with an enduring legacy, led by foresight and geared towards delivering impact at a global scale.
RCRC pointed out that using the candidature dossier as a guide, each Enquiry Mission will look into the motivations behind the Expo candidature, the attractiveness of the proposed theme, site and its planned re-use after the Expo, levels of local and national support for the project, expected participation and the financial feasibility plan.
The findings of the Enquiry Missions will be discussed by the BIE’s Executive Committee in May, which will then decide which candidatures to retain as being feasible and viable, it stated.
And finally in November this year, at the 173rd General Assembly of the BIE, the host country of World Expo 2030 will be elected by the member states, via a secret ballot and based on the principle of “one country, one vote”.
Saudi Arabia had announced its World Expo 2030 bid in October 2021 and, since then, senior government officials have made three presentations to the BIE General Assembly.
This year will see key milestones for Riyadh Expo 2030 with the current Enquiry Mission visit, a presentation to the General Assembly in June and the final vote by the General Assembly in November 2023.-TradeArabia News Service
