Expo 2020 ambassadors picked

Shaikh Mohammed also selected three youth winners, who are to be recognised for their submissions in the ‘Be part of it’ competition.

The eight Expo Ambassadors will represent the UAE at a high-level reception in Paris, France, on Wednesday, while the youth winners will participate in Expo-themed outreach programmes at schools and universities across the country.

These winners symbolise the diversity and inclusiveness of the UAE and chosen for their essays, poems, photographs, art and short films from among all of the entries submitted over the past four months in response to the question: Why should the UAE be chosen to host the world in 2020?

The eight Expo Ambassadors are Sara Al Boom, Khawla Darwish and Marwan Al Haj from the UAE; Adel Ibrahim from the Comoros; Muhammad Al Janabi from Iraq; Jasim M from India, Eenas El Sheakh from Egypt; and Ben Ouattara from Germany.

Wednesday’s reception for the winners will take place on the eve of the country’s upcoming presentation to the General Assembly of the 161 member nations of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), the international organisation responsible for overseeing the bidding, selection and organisation of World Expos.

All three youth winners from India are Maathangi Anirudh, Ayesha Khan and George Zacharia. The winners and their submissions in the ‘Be part of it’ competition can be viewed on the Expo 2020 website (www.expo2020dubai.ae).

Dubai is competing against four other candidate cities bidding to host the 2020 World Expo. The cities in the fray are Ayutthaya (Thailand); Ekaterinburg (Russia); Izmir (Turkey); and Sao Paulo (Brazil). The winning city will be announced in November 2013 after a vote by the 161-member nations of the BIE.

news@khaleejtimes.com