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Expo 2020 Dubai volunteers complete 40,000 training hours

Dubai - More than 30,000 people across 135 nationalities, between the ages of 18 and 79, are volunteering at the Expo 2020

Expo 2020 Dubai volunteers have completed more than 40,000 hours of training to date — all in preparation for the world fair on October 1.

A mega event like the Expo calls for a big team. More than 30,000 people across 135 nationalities, between the ages of 18 and 79, are volunteering at the Expo 2020. Emiratis comprise 45 per cent of the volunteers.

Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, UAE Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence and Commissioner General of Expo 2020 Dubai, has praised the 30,000 volunteers for their dedication.

“Expo 2020 coincides with the UAE’s Golden Jubilee celebrations, and I am humbled to recognise that the Expo 2020 volunteers share a common set of values that mirror the principles on which our nation has thrived. They are from diverse nationalities, backgrounds and age groups, and will travel from all seven emirates to join us as we welcome the world in a spirit of compassion, collaboration and optimism for the future,” he said.

The volunteers are a diverse group, including university students, employees, National Service cadets, home-makers, retirees and people of determination. They will play a crucial role in managing the vast number of events and global discussions that will take place daily at the Expo 2020.

“We are now less than a month away, and the commitment of the Expo 2020 volunteers has never wavered, even when faced with the challenge of a pandemic,” Sheikh Nahyan said.

“We are grateful for their passion and dedication, rooted in an understanding of what Expo 2020 is capable of achieving. With their support, Expo 2020 is ready to fulfil its mission of creating a better future for people and planet, in the UAE and across the globe.”

Emirati volunteer Kenan Abdul Ghani, 28, explained that he joined the Expo Volunteers with a desire to give back to the country that has given so much to him.

“As soon as I had the opportunity, I did not hesitate and joined the Expo [2020] Volunteers. It is a great honour for me to represent the UAE in this global platform. I am very much looking forward to the opening of Expo 2020 Dubai and to working with my team at the country pavilions to learn about the cultures of more than 190 countries, as well as their customs and traditions,” he said.

Sameer Mazumdar, a 21-year-old volunteer from India, said: “I get to be part of this great event, which is one of the biggest events in the UAE and the UAE been coming a long way since the past 10 years or so… I want to witness as many things as I can and I want to experience all the events backstage… not just as a visitor [but] contributing to it as well.”

Joe Moscaritolo, a volunteer from the United States, said: “I went to a World Expo when I was a teenager. My grandmother brought me and my brothers to the New York Expo — actually in Flushing, New York — that’s the only one I’ve ever been to."

"And now I’m at this one. As both a volunteer and a visitor, we plan on coming… the technology, the amazing buildings… There are over 190 countries and I can’t wait to see the various pavilions.”