EXPO 2012 Yeosu Korea

UAE Pavilion awarded silver medal Abu Dhabi - Agencies The UAE Pavilion at EXPO 2012 Yeosu Korea would have not been awarded the Silver Medal for its creative display without the unwavering support lent by President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Vice President and Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, Reem Al Hashimy, Minister of State and Managing Director of Higher Committee for Hosting the World Expo 2020 in Dubai, it said. In an interview with Emirates News Agency, Al Hashimy credited significant efforts Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Chairman of the National Media Council (NMC), has made to enable the Pavilion render wonderful success before eight million visitors to the international expo from more than 100 countries and international organisations over the elapsed three months. Expo 2012 Yeosu Korea was organised by the International Exhibitions Bureau (BIE) to be May 12 to August 12, 2012. The theme of the Expo is "The Living Ocean and Coast" with subthemes of "Preservation and Sustainable Development of the Ocean and Coast," "New Resources Technology," and "Creative Marine Activities." Al Hashimy said the guidance of Sheikh Abdullah to the NMC, organiser and supervisor of the Pavilion provided the key motive to the NMC team to score the prominent rank among category (A) of the top ten major exhibitors at Expo 2012 Yeosu. The minister cited words by Sheikh Abdullah during his meeting with Vicente Gonzalez Loscertales, Secretary General of Bureau International des Expositions (BIE): "We are keen on showing the real face of this part of the world, which is characterised with openness, tolerance and diversity. The Government of UAE is firmly committed to present the best offer to win the bid to host World Expo 2020." He added that "We are proud of the efforts being exerted to depict to the world the open and creative nature of the UAE community. We have the honour to welcome the world to see for itself the openness and tolerance we have in the UAE." Expressing her extreme delight at this achievement, Al Hashimy said it had proven the merits of the UAE people to deliver excellence at international events, like Expo 2012 Yeosu, and to present the bright, civilised image of the UAE to the nations of the world.? The minister also commended the role played by Takatof Programme for Social Volunteering, part of Emirates Foundation for Youth Development, in welcoming visitors and giving them insights into the UAE's achievements. She indicated that the UAE team used the Expo 2012 Yeosu platform to promote the UAE bid to host Expo 2020 in Dubai. The creative display, she noted, features a collection of documentaries showing the deep historic connection of the UAE with the sea. "The UAE has efficiently deserved the honour because the joint NMC and UAE team I had the honour to lead to the national day celebrations at Expo 2012 Yeosu had worked diligently before and during the Expo to promote achievements the UAE made over four decades," she added. She also described the classification of the UAE Pavilion among the top-rated A class along with China, US, Japan, Russia, Germany, Australia, Turkey, Italy, Spain and Denmark, as a "great achievement" for UAE engagement in international expositions. "This important milestone will prod us to work confidently to mobilise all resources to win the bid for hosting the Expo 2020," she said. "Winning the Expo 2012 Yeosu award in a tough competition with major exhibiting countries ahead of voting for Expo 2020 provides a real support for UAE's bid to host the international event in Dubai. We have made a marked progress in promoting the UAE's bid to host Expo 2010 at Expo 2012 Yeosu thanks to the sound guidance of Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum," she noted. The UAE pavilion-sponsored campaign has elicited interest of Korean officials and representatives of the 160 member BIE. On preparations to rally international support for UAE's bid to host Expo 2020, Al Hashimy said: "I'm optimistic of winning the bid" She continued: "Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has injected hope on us for hosting the Expo 2020. Potentials and credentials the UAE boasts of, qualify it to compete for staging the world's largest exposition." International voting will definitely enhance the UAE's position globally and this fits the UAE vision 2021." The theme of Expo 2020 Dubai "Connecting Minds, Creating the Future", she added, "carries our long-held belief that road to a bright future rests on our ability to positive interaction and constructive partnership." Spearheaded by Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, the Higher Committee on Hosting the World Expo 2020 will participate in five events of the General Assembly of the BIE in Paris starting from November 2012 up to November 2013, when 60 member states will vote to select the host nation for the Expo She disclosed that a high-level team from the Paris-based BIE will visit the UAE in February and March 2013 to view the infrastructure in Dubai on reality and make sure that Dubai is well-prepared to host the world's largest expo. Additionally, she said, 200 representatives from the 160 member nations of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) will visit the UAE ahead of final vote to view facilities and services available in the UAE and Dubai in particular. She said that in the event of success of Dubai's bid to host the Expo 2020, it will be the first time the World Fair would take place in the Middle East, Africa and the Indian subcontinent. This will provide unprecedented opportunities for every one to participate in this event, and it will also become the first global exhibition in the modern history that can attract the majority of visitors from around the world, thanks to Dubai's geographical location and its openness to the world. She said that "the UAE is a land of opportunities for millions of people from around the world who seek business and work, because it was founded on the values and principles that focus on welcoming foreigners from all over the world". "This is evident from the fact that UAE is home to expatriates from more than 200 different nationalities and they live together in harmony, peace, security and stability. UAE is a country where cultures intermingle, where ideas flourish and hopes thrive", she stressed. Speaking about the ability of UAE to uphold the motto of the exhibition, Al Hashimi affirmed that the work has already begun to turn the motto into a practical reality. The slogan that has been selected for the Expo Dubai 2020 themes around the "communication among human minds and shaping the future of the world", she noted. This motto has carefully been selected with a view to formulate solutions to the unprecedented challenges our world is facing now and which will become more pressing in the year 2020. This can be achieved through sustainable partnerships and intellectual communication that may contribute to the conversion of many of these challenges into opportunities for the benefit of the peoples. She stressed that Dubai Expo 2020 will provide an opportunity for proactive response to some issues that concern the whole world, such as clean energy, water, transport, logistics and economic development. Al Hashimi predicted that in November next year, the intense competition among the five countries who have made the bid to host the world event in 2020 will be decided and the name of the winning country will be announced after counting of the votes at a ceremony to be held for this purpose under the supervision of the International Exhibitions Bureau (BIE). She emphasised that through the hosting of the World Expo 2020 in Dubai, it will become an achievement of great importance not only on domestic level but also on the regional level, as this would be the first time such a huge event takes place in a wide geographic area that includes the African continent, the Middle East and South East Asia, where not a single country in such a wide geographic stretch has ever hosted this event in its history of 160 years. The UAE entered fierce competition for the medals and awards of the International Bureau of Exhibitions in Expo 2012 and was able to outperform all other competitors in the group except for China, which won the gold medal while Australia won the bronze medal. The UAE pavilion at Expo Yeosu 2012 which was supervised by the National Media Council (NMC) found wide recognition and praise for its performances and presentations using a variety of media that carried an important message. The UAE pavilion was designed to reflect the country's relationship with the sea and it could shed light on the ancient maritime heritage of the country as well as on the important role UAE play in maritime trade in the past and present.