The Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) held its 176th General Assembly in Paris on June 17. Delegates representing the 184 Member States of the BIE attended the meeting, which included reports on current and upcoming Expos, as well as the formal Registration of World Expo 2030 Riyadh.
The first part of the session featured reports from the meetings of the four committees of the BIE: the Administration and Budget Committee, the Executive Committee, the Rules Committee, and the Information and Communication Committee. Each committee provided updates on recent work and strategic priorities, contributing to the overall governance and coordination of BIE activities.
World expos
The Organizers of Expo 2025 Osaka Kansai, which opened on April 13, presented a report on the inauguration and the first two months of the World Expo. The Commissioner-General of the Expo, Ambassador Koji Haneda, said that since the Expo opened, Osaka has become “the focus of the world,” emphasizing the cultural resonance of National Day and Special Day celebrations as well as the opportunities for increased cooperation. The Deputy Secretary General of the Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition, Manatsu Ichinoki, reported that 1,500 events have taken place so far, including official ceremonies and a series of Theme Week-related dialogues addressing the theme, “Designing Future Society for Our Lives.” He furthermore indicated that the number of visitors is on the increase – having reached 8 million on June 16 – adding that visitor satisfaction is high, with 84% of those surveyed indicating they wish to return.
The 176th General Assembly granted formal Registration to World Expo 2030 Riyadh, which was marked by a ceremonial presentation of the BIE flag to H.E. Ibrahim Al Sultan, CEO of the Royal Commission for Riyadh City (RCRC). Expressing his appreciation to BIE Member States, Mr. Al Sultan called the Registration a “historic moment for Riyadh, the Kingdom and the world,” and announced that the first International Planning Meeting will be held in 2026. The newly appointed CEO of the Expo 2030 Riyadh Company, Talal Al-Marri, presented the General Assembly with an overview of the Expo’s Master Plan, noting that the 2-square-kilometer (21,500,000-square-foot) event area is designed to accommodate up to 197 countries and 29 international organizations. He also underlined that the theme of the Expo, “Foresight for Tomorrow,” along with the three subthemes – Transformative Technology, Sustainable Solutions, and Prosperous People – aims to accelerate the realization of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Specialized expos
Preparations for Specialized Expo 2027 Belgrade were outlined by the Director of the International Participants Department, Igor Kovacevik, who presented Delegates with an overview of the first International Planning Meeting that gathered representatives of 154 countries on June 10-11. He emphasized that Serbia is committed to creating the best possible journey for International Participants, and expressed his gratitude for the General Assembly’s approval of the See Agreement, a key milestone in the organization of the next Specialized Expo. In terms of ongoing progress, Mr. Kovacevik provided an update on the construction of the Expo site, and introduced the General Assembly to the Expo’s mascots, who were revealed in Serbia’s pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka Kansai. He indicated that the theme of the Expo, “Play for Humanity – Sport and Music for All,” serves as the foundation for a program framework that is being shaped, with the goal of catering to all target groups and ensuring that each day at the Expo is “purposeful, engaging and full of life.”
Horticultural expos
With less than two years until the opening of the next Horticultural Expo – Expo 2027 Yokohama – an update was given to Member States. Ambassador Kazuhiko Koshikawa, Commissioner-General, underlined the widened scope of the Expo, which will focus not just on plants and flowers but on green themes of importance to all humanity. Visitors to the Expo will be able to discover nature-based solutions across a site that is being developed using existing topography and trees, and which will be centered around five “Villages.” Jun Saito, Executive Advisor to the Expo, indicated that participation in the Expo is expanding in scale, with a total of 377 domestic participants and concessionaires having already been selected. Moreover, international participation is entering a new phase following the signature of the first participation contract with Qatar in May 2025.
International Exhibition of Triennale Milano
Member States were provided with an overview of the 24th Triennale Milano International Exhibition, which opened to the public on May 13, 2025 under the theme “Inequalities.” In a video message, the President of Triennale Milano, Stefano Boeri, underlined the significance of the Triennale Milano in understanding contemporary challenges, indicating that the International Exhibition “makes space for promising ideas, thoughtful policies, and projects that can transform inequalities into fertile differences.”
Carla Morogallo, the Director General of Triennale Milano, told Delegates that the Exhibition aims to foster unity and creative expression, emphasizing the collaborative and interdisciplinary nature of the Exhibition’s content and programming. International participation is central to the Triennale Milano’s wide perspective, indicated Marco Sammicheli, Director of the Museo del Design Italiano, noting that messages of participating countries and institutions have been recognized for giving new meaning to repair and exploring the interplay of the physical and digital realms.
