Expo 2020 Dubai, which received over 24 million visits between 1 October 2021 and 31 March 2022, was defined by the breathtaking architecture of its pavilions. As the legacy district - Expo City Dubai – prepares to reopen to the public on 1 October 2022, discover the fascinating story behind the design of one of its most iconic permanent pavilions – the UAE national pavilion.

Despite the challenges of Covid-19, Expo 2020 Dubai successfully ran from 1 October 2021 to 31 March 2022. Foreign dignitaries such as Prince William, and the Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum (WEF), Professor Klaus Schwab, and performers including the likes of Alicia Keys and Coldplay, were among the millions of people from around the world who visited the impressive Expo site that was specially built for the world’s largest gathering of people.

With Expo 2020 Dubai having closed its gates on the night of 31 March 2022 after 182 fabulous days, the final episodes of the Inside Expo podcast take a look at some of the Expo’s iconic pavilions, its dedication to the UN’s SDGs, and how to say goodbye.

As Expo 2020 Dubai enters its final days, the latest episodes of the Inside Expo podcast look at some of the pop culture that has stemmed from past Expos, as well as the fascinating story of the gold ring that inspired Expo 2020 Dubai’s logo.

We are Shabnam and Sid from Toronto, and we had the chance to visit Expo 2020 Dubai as part of our travels. We found the World Expo to be an incredible and unique experience of creativity, culture and what the future holds for us.

The latest episodes of Expo 2020 Dubai’s Inside Expo podcast explore the Vision Pavilion and the story it tells of Dubai’s journey, as well as the innovative approach the Expo Organiser took to protect the health and wellness of workers on the Expo site.

Expo 2020 Dubai has been a phenomenal opportunity to learn about the cultures, history and innovations from countries around the world. Visiting the tremendous pavilions has been an exciting adventure that has felt like travelling the world all while being in one place.

Physical and virtual connections are the subject of the most recent episodes of Expo 2020 Dubai’s Inside Expo podcast, with an exploration of the broader meaning of mobility, as well as the limitless opportunities of virtual content and collaboration.

Being a nurse couple from Abu Dhabi, we were so lucky to visit the world in one place to see countries' expertise and what they can offer. More often, they talk about on how to save the planet with advanced technologies.

The latest episodes of Expo 2020 Dubai’s Inside Expo podcast look at the architecture of some of the Expo’s most prominent landmarks, as well as the Expo’s role in incubating and showcasing Artificial Intelligence technologies.

After living in Dubai for the past 5 years, I’ve felt the excitement for Expo 2020 grow and grow. After the intense wait it had finally opened and I don’t think anyone could have imaged how large and vast this crazy event would be.

The shared human interest for other cultures and for past cultures is at the heart of the latest two episodes of Expo 2020 Dubai’s Inside Expo podcast.

If World Expos are notable for their stunning architecture, immersive experiences, and dazzling performances, they are also unique venues for meaningful dialogue and deep discussion. By gathering people with diverse backgrounds from across the world, World Expos provide a platform for the exchange of ideas and the formation of new relationships. At Expo 2020 Dubai, this dialogue is taking place in a myriad of ways, with the World Majlis standing out as a unique approach – innovative yet inspired by tradition – for fostering and shaping conversations about the future. With nine of the Expo’s ten theme weeks now completed, Dr. Federica Busa, Expo 2020 Dubai’s Senior Vice President, Visitor Experience, explains the role and contribution of the Majlis to the Expo’s thematic discussions.

The Middle East region, and in particular the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region consisting of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain, is increasingly a pioneer in sustainable agriculture and food practices, as is demonstrated by World Expo 2020 Dubai and Horticultural Expo 2023 Doha.

We came to the Expo when Terra – the Sustainability Pavilion opened as part of the Pavilion Premiere last year, and we fell in love with Expo 2020 Dubai. We were so excited to come back this year to see what else Expo 2020 Dubai had in offer, and were even more in awe. The World Expo has really surpassed all our expectations.

The two latest episodes of Expo 2020 Dubai’s Inside Expo podcast are dedicated to the promise of youth, with a focus on how young people are empowered at Expo 2020 Dubai, and on the 11-year-old girl who conveyed the sense of hope at the Expo’s Opening Ceremony.

In the latest two episodes of Expo 2020 Dubai’s Inside Expo podcast, learn about the ways the Expo’s message and experience are conveyed, and discover some of the hidden gems built into the Expo site.

The latest episodes of Expo 2020 Dubai’s Inside Expo podcast pay tribute to some of Expo 2020 Dubai’s most prominent musical creations, as well as to Expo ‘superfans’.

The latest two episodes of Expo 2020 Dubai’s Inside Expo podcast address the role of majlis – a space for conversation and dialogue – in serving as a model for Expo 2020 Dubai, as well as the evolution of robots in Expos over the decades.

In the latest episode of Inside Expo, Expo 2020 Dubai’s podcast, learn how the Expo’s mascots - Latifa and Rashid, their robot guardians Opti, Alif and Terra, and Salama the Ghaf tree – came to life.

For its first episode of 2022, Expo 2020 Dubai’s Inside Expo podcast turns its attention to the history of Emirati participation in Expos, dating back to Expo 1970 Osaka.

The three most recent episodes of Expo 2020 Dubai's Inside Expo podcast focus around two key aspects of all Expos: their legacy, and the innovations they showcase.

With its theme “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future”, Expo 2020 Dubai offers multiple opportunities for the whole world, with a particularly strong interest in the World Expo from Asia’s emerging economies. Both situated in the Opportunity District, Indonesia and Viet Nam are participating in Expo 2020 Dubai to expand their connections with other countries and to work together in the creation of a more sustainable future. Didi Sumedi, the Commissioner-General of Indonesia, and Nguyen Phuong Hoa, the Commissioner-General of Viet Nam, lay out the reasons why Expo 2020 Dubai is such a crucial meeting point for their countries.

The Inside Expo podcast has released three new episodes in the past week, with two episodes dedicated to the sustainable innovations presented at Expos, and one episode focused on technological advances in communication as seen through Expo 1939 New York and Expo 2020 Dubai.

In the latest two episodes of the Inside Expo podcast, learn about the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), from its Secretary General, Dimitri S. Kerkentzes, and discover how Expo 2020 Dubai is helping to build a more resilient future for all through its Expo Live programme.

The newest two episodes of Inside Expo - Expo 2020 Dubai’s podcast series – look near and far in terms of the earthly and the celestial factors that shape World Expos.

The two latest episodes of Expo 2020 Dubai’s podcast, Inside Expo, continue in the exploration of the meaning behind the Expo and what visitors can discover there.

Expo 2020 Dubai is a point of connection for the whole world, with countries from far and wide participating with their own pavilions in the Opportunity, Sustainability and Mobility Districts. Latin American countries are embracing Expo 2020 Dubai’s theme of “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future”, and four of these nations - all participating in the Mobility District – have a particular vision they are keen to share with the world.

H.E. Jorge Daccarett, the Commissioner-General of Chile, Salvador Gomez, the Commissioner-General of El Salvador, Martha Jaramillo, the Commissioner-General of Mexico, and Amora Carbajal, the Commissioner-General of Peru, explain why the Expo is so important and how it serves as a platform for sharing their own countries’ vision for a more sustainable, connected, and high-tech future.

Expo 2020 Dubai – the first World Expo to take place in the Middle East, Africa & South Asia (MEASA) region, themed “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future” – opened its gates on 1 October 2021 and will welcome millions of visitors before it closes on 31 March 2022.

L’Expo 2020 Dubai est la première Exposition Universelle organisée au Moyen-Orient, Afrique et Asie du Sud. Célébration de l’ingéniosité humaine autour du thème « Connecter les Esprits, Construire le Futur », elle met en avant des problématiques auxquelles tous les pays participants sont invités à réfléchir pour imaginer ensemble les modèles de développement du futur.

Avec tous les pays du continent africain présents, l’Exposition Universelle est une occasion unique pour y partager leurs projets et leurs réalisations, rechercher des investissements et des solutions aux défis communs et forger de nouvelles relations à travers le monde.

With the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic having led to various degrees of restrictions around the world – often for extended periods – keeping an active body and mind emerged as a key challenge. This is of particular importance for children and teenagers, whose active lifestyles were in some cases abruptly halted by stay-at-home limitations and school closures.

With two billion people in the world lacking access to toilet facilities, poor sanitation is a global problem responsible for the transmission of diseases, malnutrition and an estimated 432,000 deaths annually. This issue is easily preventable, with investment in improved sanitation reaping significant long-term benefits on health and well-being.

An estimated one billion people around the world are living with disabilities, and while great strides have been made towards inclusion, people of determination remain at a higher risk of poverty and social exclusion. As a result of physical barriers, unsuitable tools and discrimination, the employment rate is significantly lower than the overall average.

When faced with challenges, we naturally turn to experts, scientists, engineers and researchers to find and create appropriate solutions. But what if we also asked and listened to children for their ideas on improving the world?

For rural and pastoral communities in cross-border regions, restrictions on mobility as well as limited resources can pose a major challenge to livelihoods. Coupled with the impact of climate change and intercommunity tensions, the situation can rapidly hamper the whole region’s economic and social well-being.

Half the world’s population does not have access to essential health services, a figure that is all the more dramatic in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. With many of the world’s poorest countries having less than one doctor per 1,000 people, improving access to healthcare is a global priority.

About half of the wood cut down every year around the world is used to produce energy, mostly as fuel for cooking and heating. While this significant and unsustainable use of wood fuel perpetuates deforestation and contributions towards carbon emissions, the livelihoods and survival of many of the world’s poorest people relies on such energy, with one third of the global population dependent on wood or charcoal for cooking.

Around the world, almost half of all deaths in children aged under five are caused by poor nutrition. Chronic malnutrition in children stunts the development of the brain and body, increasing the likelihood of illness and negatively affecting the child's chances of staying in education – leading to lower earnings and ultimately trapping people in a cycle of poverty.

Early childhood care and education offers pre-primary-school-age children the opportunity to develop emotional and social capabilities required to thrive in school, and increases their chances of reaching their full potential later in life. Yet only about one in five young children in low-income countries are enrolled in pre-school, and many working parents have little choice but to leave their young children with informal or inadequate care providers.

Around the world, the continuous growth of cities puts pressure on the environment and particularly on water resources; it is estimated that 80 per cent of wastewater is released into the environment without adequate treatment. With two thirds of the world’s population living in severe water scarcity at least one month per year, it is vital to manage water resources in a sustainable manner.

The production of construction materials has a significant negative environmental impact: cement alone accounts for between five and 10 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions (UNEP). In addition, plastic waste is an increasing global problem, oceans expected to contain more plastic than fish by 2050. With the world’s rising population, plastic waste and demand for construction materials are also set to grow.

Only nine per cent of all plastic ever produced has been recycled; 12 per cent has been incinerated and 79 per cent has ended up in landfill or the natural environment. Global production of plastic waste is about 300 million tonnes every year, almost equivalent to the weight of the entire human population. Plastic waste related to food and beverages – including plastic bottles, bags, straws, wrappers, cups and utensils – are a significant portion of this total.

When people are forced to flee their homes due to war, persecution or natural disaster, the provision of basic necessities is the utmost priority, but their welfare is also heavily dependent on the environment of where they settle. Deforestation, soil erosion and the depletion and pollution of water resources are among the most significant challenges that can be associated with the arrival and residency of internally displaced people and refuges.

Around the world, a staggering one billion people suffer from some form of preventable or treatable vision impairment. This ranges from moderate and severe vision impairment to blindness, with the leading cause being uncorrected refractive errors and cataracts. A lack of access to necessary medical equipment and professionals means that visual impairment is four times higher in in low- and middle-income countries compared to high-income regions.

The FAO estimates that around one third of global food production is lost or wasted each year, a subject that was at the heart of the most recent World Expo – Expo 2015 Milan, themed “Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life”. This challenge is a global one – rich countries waste around the same amount of food as the entire net food production of sub-Saharan Africa. At the same time, hunger remains a global problem with around 9% of the world’s population lacking access to sufficient food.

Accessing mental health services can be a major challenge, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa, where more than 65 million people suffer from mental health issues. Care providers are stretched thin, with as few as one psychiatrist per 100,000 people in the MENA region, while social stigma, discrimination and neglect often prevent people from attending psychotherapy clinics or seeking help. With two-thirds of global population not seeking treatment because of these challenges, and suicide the second-highest cause of death among young people, the need for mental health services is greater than ever.

The impact of climate change, infrastructure projects and increased population means that 2 billion people around the world are expected to be vulnerable to flood disaster by 2050. While addressing the causes of flooding is essential, it is also imperative to improve flood resilience in the most affected areas, with people’s lives and livelihoods increasingly threatened by intense and unpredictable weather events.

Through containment, adapting to live with the virus and last but not least the vaccine rollout, it is now possible to envisage a sense of normality in the global economy. With this perspective, Expo 2020 Dubai is set to be the first event of its scale to take place, serving to re-kickstart the global meetings, incentives, conferencing and exhibitions (MICE) industry as well as international tourism.

Education is perhaps the most effective way to pull children out of poverty and addressing social problems, yet 260 million children around the world are out of school. This is why a group of concerned citizens in Pakistan created The Citizens Foundation (TCF), a non-government organisation aimed at improving access to education as a way of reducing social barriers and making students become agents of positive change.

Climate change, unsustainable farming practices and deforestation not only pose serious challenges for biodiversity and the protection of nature, but in many places also threaten the livelihoods of indigenous communities.