The Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) held its 170th General Assembly in Paris on 20-21 June 2022. Delegates representing the 170 Member States of the BIE attended the meeting – held physically for the first time since 2019 – which included the final report of Expo 2020 Dubai, progress reports on ongoing and upcoming Expos, and presentations from Candidates for Specialized Expo 2027/28 and World Expo 2030.
The first part of the session featured reports from the President of the Administration and Budget Committee, Patrick Specht (Germany), the President of the Executive Committee, Alain Berger (France), the Vice President of the Rules Committee, H.E. Albina Pereira Africano (Angola), and the President of the Information and Communication Committee, Murager Sauranbayev (Kazakhstan).
World Expos
With Expo 2020 Dubai having closed its gates on 31 March, a large delegation led by the Chairman of the Expo 2020 Dubai Higher Committee H.H. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum participated in the General Assembly to deliver Expo 2020 Dubai’s final report. H.E. Reem Al Hashimy, UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation and Director General of Expo 2020 Dubai, told Delegates that the success of the World Expo, which received 24.1 million visits, “is a sterling testament to the value of true international cooperation”, which showed that “connection and collaboration are sacrosanct in the service of peace, prosperity and the preservation of this planet we call home.” The delegation also revealed Dubai’s project for the former Expo site.
Specialized Expos
Following the submission of candidature dossiers for a Specialized Expo in either 2027 or 2028, the five countries seeking to host the next Specialized Expo – Thailand, Serbia, Spain, Argentina and the United States – presented their projects to the General Assembly.
Horticultural Expos
With regard to Horticultural Expos, the General Assembly was given a video update from Floriade Expo 2022 Amsterdam-Almere, which opened to the public on 14 April. The CEO of the Expo Organizer, Hans Bakker, reported on the inauguration of the Expo by King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands on 13 April, and on the national and international participation including Belgium, which recently became the first international participant to celebrate its National Day at the Expo. He concluded by sharing footage of the Expo site and inviting everyone to visit Almere and learn about “Growing Green Cities.”
International Exhibition of Triennale Milano
With the 23rd International Exhibition of Triennale Milano opening on 15 July, Member States were given a preview of the exhibition, themed “Unknown Unknowns. An Introduction to Mysteries”. Marco Sammicheli, Triennale Design Museum Director, informed Delegates that the XXIII Triennale will gather 600 works from 400 artists, adding that 20 countries – including five from the African continent – will be participating. The thematic exhibition was then presented to the General Assembly by astrophysicist and curator Ersilia Vaudo, before a conclusion was made by the Director General of Triennale Milano, Carla Morogallo.
