The UAE was formally registered today as the host nation of Expo 2020, two years after Dubai won the bid.
The 168 member states that make up the general assembly of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) head-quartered in Paris have officially ratified the UAE's registration dossier.

The comprehensive document details plans for the site (Master Plan), the theme and its subthemes, financial structure, plans for the pavilion sites, infrastructure, facilities and use of structures once the expo ends.

Now that the document is registered, construction work can begin on the 438-hectare site area in Dubai South earmarked and the UAE government can officially invite countries to participate in Dubai Expo 2020.

Under the theme 'Connecting minds, Creating the Future', Expo 2020 will launch the UAE's golden jubilee celebrations.

Members of the Expo 2020 Dubai Higher Committee led by His Highness Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum attended the 158th General Assembly of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) for this historic chapter in Dubai's journey to 2020.

To symbolically mark Dubai's formal appointment, the BIE President Mr. F. Nagy and the BIE Secretary-General Mr. V. Loscertales officially handed over the BIE flag. to His Highness Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum.

Mr. Loscertales, added, "As the first World Expo to take place in the Middle East, South Asia and Africa, we look forward to what we believe will be a meaningful moment in history, not only for this young nation and the BIE, but also for the wider region and indeed, the world."

Dubai Expo 2020 is planned to open its gates on 20 October 2020; it will be the first World Expo to take place in the MENASA (Middle-East, North Africa, South Asia) region.