Swiss involvement in World Expos dates back to the 1851 Great Exhibition in London. As an active participant in successive Expos, Switzerland was a founding Member State of the BIE when it was created by the 1928 Paris Convention. The country has continued to participate in numerous Specialised and World Expos, and its participation has been rewarded on multiple occasions, including the attribution of a Silver Award for architecture and landscape at World Expo 2020 Dubai and a Gold Award for Theme Development at Specialised Expo 2017 Astana.