Other candidates can still apply until December 10th, 2011

H.E.M. Nurlan DANENOV, Ambassador of Kazakhstan in France, and Prime Minister of Belgium, Yves LETERME have respectively presented the candidatures of ASTANA and LIEGE.

Date: June 10 – September 10, 2017

Expected participants: more than 100 countries and 6 international organizations

Expected visitors: over 5 million visitors all over the world

Expo Site: A plot of 25 hectares will be allocated to the Expo site. The site has a convenient access to Astana's city center, the international airport and the railway station. The Expo site is also linked with a network of inter-city roads to ensure quick access from all over the country.

Theme: Future Energy

Kazakhstan proposes "Future Energy" as the theme of Expo 2017. The world is currently facing a shortage of energy resources coupled with the threat of environmental crisis, which poses a real challenge to preserving traditional energy sources and finding alternative energy. As oil production declines and its value increases gradually, in the near future, a large part of the population will have to shift to alternative energy. The Expo will serve as a platform to exchange worldwide experiences in the filed of alternative energy, a sector which is growing rapidly these years.

 As a country that has rich reserves of oil, gas and uranium, Kazakhstan does not neglect its responsibility of preserving traditional energy resources and promoting alternative energy, such as solar, wind, marine resources, ocean and geothermal waters, in order to address the problem of energy shortage in the world.

Astana, the capital of a young nation, was awarded the UNESCO "City for Peace" award. Kazakhstan is the first nation in central Asia to submit an application for an international recognized Expo. Organizing an Expo in Astana is another step in Kazakhstan's strategy to develop a new type of economy using clean energy resources.

"In the new Century of scientific and technological breakthrough, also marked by more and more frequent natural catastrophes, ecological issues and natural resources are part of the global priorities of the international community."

------ H.E.M. Nurlan DANENOV
Ambassador of Kazakhstan in France

Liège Belgium 2017
Connecting the world,
Linking people

Date: June 21 – September 20, 2017

Expo Site: Liege has chosen Coronmeuse as the location for an Expo in 2017. The site, just under 25 hectares, close to the highway, is located next to the future tramline that will link it to the city center. Historically, Coronmeuse served as the site for the last International Exposition held in Liege back in 1939.

Theme: Connecting the world, linking people

This technological revolution, which is very recent in the trajectory of human history, is bringing about a far-reaching change in the way we live and interact with each other and is drastically changing human relations. On one hand, there is a huge surge in the number of people moving about and travelling and in the volume of international freight. On the other hand, more and more people have access to fixed or mobile phones and to the Internet.

The theme of the Expo conveys both the global aspect of the phenomenon of connectivity, or the need to make it global ("connecting the world"), its human scope ("linking people") but also its use for creative purposes to face up to present challenges ("creativity for a better future"). The relevance of this theme in the light of the global challenges is clear. It applies to many fields: from the integration and preservation of differences to space technology.

Objectives:

The City of Liège, the heart of the third biggest conurbation in Belgium (its urban area boasts a population of 600,000), is the economic capital of the Walloon region, the French-speaking region in the south of Belgium. In these ten years, Liège has been transformed into a city that generates a service economy that centers on its 'poles of competence'. Organizing an International Expo in 2017 will be a superb chance for Liège to make its advantages more valuable and tell its success stories in economy, science and culture to the world.

« All the strengths of my country are with Liège in this beautiful challenge. This Expo should be seen as an ideal opportunity to foster dialogue with the entire international community about the development access and use of new communication information technologies. »

-- Premier Minister of Belgium Yves LETERME