Expo 2020 Dubai will honour the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) next Wednesday, 30 March.

Taking place on the penultimate day of the Expo, BIE Day pays tribute to the intergovernmental organisation created in 1928 to lead, promote and foster Expos, and celebrates the Expo's hosts and international participants.

BIE Day is an opportunity to celebrate Expo 2020 Dubai, to commemorate its achievements, and to mark the continuity of Expos since 1851. A delegation of BIE representatives and officials, including the President of the General Assembly Jai-chul Choi and the Secretary General Dimitri S. Kerkentzes, will represent the BIE and its 170 Member States during the course of the day's activities.

The commemoration of BIE Day will begin with a dedicated ceremony in Al Wasl Plaza at 10.15am GST, which will include a flag-raising ceremony, the anthems of the UAE and the BIE, and speeches by UAE and BIE dignitaries. Special performances curated by the UAE and Japan will also be presented at the ceremony, symbolising continuity between Expo 2020 Dubai and Expo 2025 Osaka Kansai.

Later in the day, at 2.30pm, the final World Majlis conversation series will be held in Al Wasl Plaza. Organised with the BIE, this special edition of the Majlis will gather a broad range of international thought-leaders around the subject of "A Shared Future".

In the evening, Al Wasl Plaza will light up in honour of the BIE, with a specially created immersive experience paying tribute to the history of World Expos and the BIE.

Celebrating the exceptional international participation in Expo 2020 Dubai and the Expo's multiple achievements, BIE Day will end with the Ceremony of Prizes and Awards, during which the Expo 2020 Dubai Official Participant Awards will be granted. The Ceremony will also see the attribution of the BIE-Cosmos Prize, BIE Medals, and Innovation Awards.

The announcement of all awards can be followed on the BIE's Twitter account. Additionally, Expo 2020 Dubai's Virtual Expo will be live-streaming both the BIE Day ceremony and the World Majlis conversation.

Organised under the theme "Connecting Minds, Creating the Future", Expo 2020 Dubai is the first World Expo to take place in the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia (MENASA) region. Expo 2020 Dubai is the largest global gathering to take place since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, gathering over 190 countries from around the world, and having received over 20 million visits since it opened its gates on 1 October 2021.