Evaluation Mission for Riyadh Expo 2030 Kicks Off

Gulf

March 6th, 7:41am

Asharq Al-Awsat

Evaluation Mission for Riyadh Expo 2030 Kicks Off

A delegation from the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) Enquiry Mission arrived in Riyadh on Sunday on a 5-day visit to start the evaluation process of the Kingdon's Candidacy for World Expo 2030. The Enquiry Mission is headed by Patrick Specht, president of the BIE Administration and Budget Committee, accompanied by BIE Secretary-General Dimitrios Kerkentzes, Eva Descarrega Garcia (Andorra), Karen-Mae Hill, OBE (Antigua and Barbuda), Aldwin Dekkers (Belgium) and additional members of the BIE Secretariat. CEO of the Royal Commission for Riyadh City Fahd Al-Rasheed affirmed that the visit represents an opportunity for the delegates to witness the support of our leadership, the commitment of the Saudi government, and the excitement of the people of Riyadh and Saudi Arabia, to host a World Expo in our capital city in 2030. During the visit, the BIE delegation will hold talk with ministers, members of government and subject matter experts to evaluate the details of the Riyadh Expo 2030 bid. The Mission, which is a mandatory prerequisite for a country’s candidature to be considered for election, will look into the motivations behind the Expo candidature, the attractiveness of the proposed Expo theme, the proposed 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 also be discussed by the BIE’s executive committee in May 2023, which will decide which candidatures to retain as being feasible and viable. In November 2023, at the 173rd General Assembly of the BIE, the host country of World Expo 2030 will be elected by BIE Member States, via a secret ballot and based on the principle of “one country, one vote.” Saudi Arabia announced its bid to host World Expo 2030 in Riyadh in October 2021 and since then it has completed three presentations to the BIE General Assembly.

from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/4195226/evaluation-mission-riyadh-expo-2030-kicks