Dubai wins Expo 2020
Dubai has been announced as the host city for the World Expo 2020 following the voting in Paris
Dubai has won the right to host the World Expo in 2020, it has been announced, following a day of voting in Paris, France.
Held at the OECD Centre in Paris, the vote saw more than 200 delegates from the 168 member nations of the Bureau International des Expositions gather to cast their votes for the four cities bidding to host the World Expo 2020.
The four cities bidding for Expo 2020 were: Dubai – UAE, Izmir – Turkey, Ekaterinburg – Russia and Sao Paulo – Brazil.
The first round of voting saw Dubai pick up the majority of the votes, with 77 first round votes from 164, or 47.24%. Ekaterinburg came second with 23.93% or 39 votes. Izmir came third with 33 votes. Sao Paulo was eliminated from the bidding process at this stage with just 7.98% of the votes.
The second round saw Dubai rack up an astounding 87 votes in its favour, while Ekaterinburg again came second with 24.85% of the vote. Izmir was thus eliminated.
The third and final round of voting saw Dubai pick up 116 votes, a massive majority and a result that secured one of the most prestigious in the world for Dubai in 2020.
Earlier in the day, The UAE Minister of State, Reem Al Hashimi made an impassioned speech to delegates ahead of the vote.
“Ladies and gentleman, as you cast your vote this afternoon, know that we are humbled by this powerful and decisive moment that is upon us. In this final address, I represent the voice of million of my people. I stand before you as a civil servant, mother and a daughter, but as someone who will make a difference and inspire a change,” she said in closing.
