The 2030 World Expo in Riyadh : Soft Power is back in force
Already tipped as the host country for this 34th edition, on Tuesday November 28, Saudi Arabia won over 72% of the votes in the first round of voting, beating out its rivals Pusan and Rome. This triumph resounded with joy throughout the kingdom. On the one hand, such victory reflects the confidence shown by the community, and on the other, a geopolitical turning point concerning the representativeness of the Middle East in the exercise of soft power. Indeed, this is the second time since 1851 that the World Expo has been held in one of the Gulf countries. While Dubai successfully opened the ball in 2021, Riyadh is set to shine at this cultural event.
Hosting the 2030 edition at all costs, a major political and economic challenge for Saudi Arabia
Like Muhammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates, Muhammad Bin Salman aspires to make his kingdom the new economic hub of the region. Although Riyadh has all the resources needed to achieve this ambition, with its Gross Domestic Product rising by 42% over the decade 2013-2023, the Saudi capital's involvement in a unifying event such as the World Expo should have the effect of accelerating the country's growth. As an EY report on the financial impact of the latest edition shows, the 2020 Dubai World Expo supported more than 1,039,000 job-years and generated $42.18 million in gross value added. MBS can therefore look forward to similar economic benefits.
Propelled into the spotlight, Saudi Arabia intends to meet the expectations of the 40 million visitors forecast for its capital. To achieve this mission, the country's cultural delegation is thinking big: more than 7.2 billion euros are expected to be invested in developing the exhibition site, and the completion of six metro lines linking the city's key sites is also on the agenda. The eagerly-awaited event will take place in a strategic location: north of Riyadh, close to King Khaled International Airport and the prestigious King Abdullah Petroleum Research Center.
The "Era of Change" : a technological and environmental gamble
The "Era of Change" is a well-chosen heading to describe Saudi Arabia's determination to become the new regional hub. In fact, the Saudi ecosystem is booming. This is evidenced by the rate of funding for start-ups, which rose by 197% between 2020 and 2023. Against this backdrop, a space dedicated to innovation and youth is to be created, under the name of the "collaborative change corner". With 70% of its population under the age of 30, Saudi Arabia intends to use the event to promote its future generation of entrepreneurs.
Another driving force for change is the environment. This is the second fundamental aspect of the exhibition. From the outset of its candidacy, Riyadh has touted the richness of its natural landscapes and its ambition to be the first carbon-negative exhibition in the Middle East. In order to combine modernity and sustainability, the organizing committee set itself the goal of linking the future urban complex to the environment. The decision to integrate the exhibition site into a network of existing wadis is in line with this objective. In addition to the series of sustainable infrastructures currently underway, the project will include 70% green spaces, including the famous Salman Park, where over a million trees are to be planted. This gigantic space will occupy an area five times the size of Central Park.
World Expositions : from the Foreign Nations "street" to the Foreign Nations "boulevard" ...
At the heart of its program, the 2030 World Expo aims above all to unify. To achieve this, each country is to have its own pavilion. The traditions, values and roots of the participants are to be given pride of place. But when did the custom of erecting national pavilions begin ? Pavilion architecture was consolidated at the Paris Exposition in 1878. It was during this period that the emblematic Foreign Nations Street (La Rue des Nations) appeared, running alongside the Seine and linking the esplanade des Invalides to the Champ de Mars. At the time, this promenoir was home to the foreign sections of the participants who had agreed to build - at their own expense - a facade in the image of their national style. The installation of this new attraction gave rise to the idea of reconstituting a miniature globe. 145 years later, Saudi Arabia is giving substance to this aspiration: six million square meters of space for 197 states. The Street of Nations seems to have turned into a boulevard.
After a period of decline, particularly in the 1980s, world exhibitions are now rising from the ashes. As vehicles for living together, these great displays have developed to the point of becoming an anchor in the context of widespread interconnection. And whereas in 2010, the Shanghai World Expo still tended to museumize the host megalopolis, with an over-dimensioned national pavilion, nowadays, national pavilions are all placed on the same pedestal. By presenting themselves to the world, the various populations are now opening a window onto shared issues, through mutual listening and collaboration.
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