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Expo Shanghai Opening of the Site - BIE Secretary-General Speech

Expo Shanghai 2010 - Opening of the site
Shanghai, 1st May 2010
Vicente Gonzalez Loscertales
Secretary-General of the BIE
VGL_Shanghai_Opening_Ceremony

 

Honorable Mr. Jia Qinlin, honorable Vice Premier, honorable Mayor Han,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

 

Today we officially open the doors to a world of cultures, innovations and achievements in "Better City, Better Life" that gather in Shanghai for the first time in the history of World Expos.

Thank you, China, for your ability to transform your vision of the Expo into a meeting of nations of an unprecedented scale under the common goal of promoting the development of harmonious and sustainable cities.

Thank you, participants, for all of your contributions which will leave a legacy above and beyond the Expo site through friendship, cooperation and shared best practices.

Thank you, staff and volunteers from China and from around the world, for you tireless efforts and for your dedication in building, preparing and operating the World Expo that will stand out as one of the landmarks of the 21st Century.

I am very honored to have shared with you the past ten years that bring us all here today; and I am also looking forward, in the coming six months, to see the dimension of our international community focused on building a great event together and on carrying out peaceful discussions and constructive confrontations about our future cities.

Every exhibition, every pavilion, every event, every meeting in Shanghai 2010 "Better City, Better Life" will help us better understand our present, have a glimpse into the future, and strengthen the ties of cooperation between our countries and organizations.

Shanghai 2010 is a celebration of human achievements with the goal of inspiring present and future generations to pursue not only the ideals, but also the actions for "Better City, Better Life".

Expos are engines of change for a city, for its people and for all those taking part in it. Between now and October 31st 2010 the Expo will not only educate, entertain and fascinate visitors, but will spark the energies to build the cities of the future on some of its foundations.

Congratulations to all of you for your endeavors, and my most sincere gratitude to the government of the People's Republic of China, all the nations and international organizations participating in the Shanghai Expo, the municipality of Shanghai and its citizens, and all those who have made this Expo possible. I have no doubt that all visitors will experience the most successful, splendid, and unforgettable Expo, and they will hold this Expo dear in their hearts and minds.

Thank you very much!

 

Expo Shanghai Opening Ceremony - BIE President Speech

Opening Ceremony - Shanghai 2010
April 30, 2010
Speech by BIE President Jean-Pierre Lafon
JPL_Shanghai_Opening_Ceremony

 

Mr President of the People's Republic of China,

Dear Presidents,

Dear Heads of Government,

Dear Commissioner Generals,

Ladies and Gentlemen.

The Bureau International des Expositions, in the name of its 157 Member States, can but rejoice that on the theme of the city, the 2010 World Expo is held in Shanghai, China, the most populated country of our planet, older than history itself, inheritor of an ancient and advanced civilisation which is undergoing a tremendous change and unprecedented urban revolution.

This grand Exhibition will allow you to show the emergence of China at the beginning of the twenty first century.

This exhibition which you have created for the world, through the presence of the pavilions of all our planet's countries and by the creation for the first time in a World Expo of an area for the cities and regions of our world to show their best practices will allow the world to form a source of comparison and dialogue. Finally you have created this Expo as truly planetary, through the broadcasting of images and forums thanks to the technological progress of today's communication.

Through its magnitude, its creative richness, through new initiatives, through the chosen themes, the city today in Shanghai, food for out planet tomorrow in Milan or the oceans in Yeosu, the BIE is conscious that World Expos, more alive than ever before, are answering a need of progress, of meetings, of conviviality and dialogue and that the emulation of our time can not just be limited to sports.

The chosen theme of "Better city, Better life", with the majority of our planet's population living in cities today, with the increase of the urban population to almost 3 billion men and women in the decades to come must drive us to improve the quality of life for the citizens not only for developing countries, but also for developed countries; who all too often suffer from pollution, poverty, social segregation and insecurity. We hope that this Exhibition will contribute to a social awakening so that our cities may become more sustainable, fairer, safer and harmonious.

I wish every success to the World Expo 2010 Shanghai.


Note: Speech given in English, French, and Chinese

 

Expo Shanghai Flag Raising Ceremony - BIE Secretary-General Speech

Flags_hoisting
Expo Shanghai 2010 Flag Raising Ceremony
April 30, 2010
Speech by the BIE Secretary-General, Vicente Gonzalez Loscertales
Honorable Vice-Mayor Yang,
Director Hong Hao,
Distinguished representatives from the Municipality and the Police Force,
Dear guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is with much pleasure that, today, I share with you the privilege to raise these flags for Expo Shanghai 2010.

We are here to raise the symbols that, for the next six months, will fligh high over the site to represent the values and the objectives of our common endeavour that is Expo Shanghai 2010.

It is with great pride that today the BIE flag and those of the official participants will fly next to the flag of the People's Republic of China, our gracious host that has so successfully mobilized national and international resources to give the world an opportunity to cooperate on one of the most pressing concerns of modern civilization: how to make our cities better.

The flags of Expo 2010 and of the BIE will symbolize our common endeavour to promote the progress of humanity to pursue "Better City and Better Life" through education, peace and friendship.

Each horizontal line in the BIE emblem represents a step towards the future; each line is contained within a globe to represents the the universal values of cooperation for progress that have driven and motivated all our actions since 2002, when China was awarded the responsibility to host Expo 2010.

The flags of the official participants represent the commitment of the international community to take part in the global dialogue that Shanghai 2010 EXPO is fostering to show to millions of citizens the efforts of the World's nations, cities and organisations to improve quality of life in all cities of the world.

These flags remind us that we have come together as a global community under one goal to pursue cultural, economic and social innovation for "Better City, Better Life". Your presence and your continued support have demonstrated a determination and a committment to work together as family to make this goal a reality, today and in the future.

With my most sincere wish of a continued success, let me express once again my pride and my honor to have come this far together.

Thank you.
   

Expos and Culture

federico_mayor"It is urgent, for the transition from a culture of coercion and force towards a culture of conciliation and peace, to know one another, recognize one another, and to construct bridges of understanding and harmony. Expos greatly contribute to this and in a clear and obvious way. The moment has now come to spread this ‘new perspective,’ so valuable, across countries… and across continents (!) that are not yet part of their fantastic ‘journey’…"

Mr. Federico Mayor is the President of Culture of Peace Foundation and former Director-General of UNESCO.

   

Shanghai 2010

Yeosu 2012

Milano 2015

Venlo 2012