The world will come to Saudi Arabia, and we will genuinely have the chance to shape its future. No, I’m not talking about football, which seems strange considering it’s the topic that’s captured the heart of the nation in recent months. I genuinely believe the announcement that Expo 2030 will be held in Riyadh eclipses it in terms of what it will offer for millions of Saudis not just for years, but generations to come.
The first of these global gatherings was the Great Exhibition in London in 1851 — and people still talk in awe about it now, more than 170 years later. Not only will the Riyadh Expo create a legacy for all of our children, its motto “Together for a foresighted future” means the whole world will share our vision of what the next century can look like. While getting the football World Cup is an incredible achievement, it was achieved almost by default — because our only rival, Australia, dropped out.
For Expo 2030, the world was quite literally with us and has backed us overwhelmingly. Riyadh’s bid had votes from 119 countries, compared to 29 for South Korea’s Busan and 17 for Italy’s Rome. It was the first time in 20 years a city had won the contest in the first round of voting. But what impressed me more than this alone was the names of some of the countries that supported Riyadh’s aims.
One of the standouts was France, with the fact President Macron endorsed our bid being an incredibly significant factor. The European Union is one of the greatest collaborations in the world for countries to share ideas, technologies, learnings and research easily across the continent.
The sheer size and scale of the World Expo means that for the six months it takes place, Riyadh will become the center of debate on some of the world’s greatest issues. Some of the biggest challenges and dilemmas facing our planet will be solved on our land. Tens of millions of people will visit, which in itself is an extraordinary figure, bringing their ideas and skills as we look at areas such as technology, environment, academia and engineering.
While the buildings created to host the event will undoubtedly transform Riyadh and provide landmarks to serve local people for years to come, there will be far more important benefits. The nature of the debates and the intellects who visit will also transform the minds of our young people. Could anything inspire them to achieve great things more than this? The challenge for us is to make Riyadh 2030 a defining moment in our history!
(This article was first published in Saudi Gazette on November 30, 2023)
