Due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, Expo 2020 Dubai has been postponed by one year after a two-thirds majority of Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) Member States voted in favour of postponing the event. The global mega event will now run from 1 October 2021 to 31 March 2022, a delay that allows all participants to safely navigate the impact of COVID-19.

The postponement will also and allow the World Expo to focus on a collective desire for new thinking to identify solutions to some of the greatest challenges of our time. Expo 2020 Dubai retains its name and remains committed to hosting an exceptional event that will celebrate humanity’s resilience, creativity, culture and innovation – including major technological advances in the fields of medicine and science. Expo 2020 will be the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) region, and largest ever event to take place in the Arab world. The event will welcome 192 countries, plus businesses, multilateral organisations and educational establishments.