#Expo2020Dubai has been officially postponed, new dates announced

Expo 2020 Dubai will now take place in October 2021 after a two-thirds majority of Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) Member States voted in favour of postponing the next World Expo by one year.

The massive event will now start on October 1, 2021, and run until March 31, 2022.

Expo 2020 wins another overwhelming vote of confidence from nations around the world. More than two-thirds majority of @BIEParis Members voted in favour of postponing the next Expo by one year. #Expo2020 will now run from 1 October 2021 to 31 March 2022. https://t.co/POKRhaU9Mr pic.twitter.com/rXuvp9I328

— Expo 2020 Dubai (@expo2020dubai) May 4, 2020

The dates for Expo 2020 Dubai have been changes to allow “all participants to safely navigate the impact of COVID-19”. Member states voted remotely on the BIE Executive Committee’s recommendation for a delay. The delay was proposed at the start of April by the UAE Government, and recommended by the BIE Executive Committee on April 21.
The vote remains open until May 29, but the two-thirds threshold was surpassed within a week of voting opening on 24 April.

His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Airports, President of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman and CEO of Emirates Group, and Chairman of the Expo 2020 Dubai Higher Committee, said:
“We welcome the decision of BIE Member States to support the delay Expo 2020 Dubai by one year. We are thankful to Member States for their continued commitment to contributing to a World Expo in Dubai that will play a pivotal role in shaping our post-pandemic world at a time when it will be most needed. “Over the last 50 years, we have sought to build bridges, connections, and partnerships around the world because we believe in genuine collaboration to safeguard the future of all. This swift and overwhelming vote reflects the strength of our international partnerships and truly reflects the positive role the UAE and Dubai play with all countries around the world. “This affirmation by the international community of Dubai’s offering and its ability to deliver, further strengthens our commitment to matching ambition with achievement to hosting an event that will capture the world’s imagination, when the time is right.”

Dimitri S. Kerkentzes, Secretary General of the BIE, said:
“I applaud the swift response by BIE Member States. Their support for the postponement of Expo 2020 Dubai – which will be formally approved on 29 May – is a renewed sign of solidarity, and demonstrates the shared will to work together in 'creating the future'.
“In their support for the one-year postponement of Expo 2020 Dubai, Member States of the BIE are giving the world the opportunity to reconvene in 2021, when together, we can address the challenges facing humanity and celebrate the unity and solidarity that strengthen us. 

With its theme ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’, Expo 2020 Dubai will offer the world a unique platform to share the lessons, solutions and ideas for a better tomorrow.”