President, First Lady depart to Dubai to attend Expo 2020

President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and First Lady Fazna Ahmed have departed on an official trip to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, to attend the Expo 2020.  

The President and First Lady, accompanied by a delegation of cabinet ministers and high-level executives from the government and the President’s Office, departed for UAE on Sunday evening. 

President’s visit to Expo 2020 comes with Maldives set to celebrate Monday as the designated ‘Honor Day’ for Maldives at the expo. He is scheduled to deliver remarks at the event, 

The President and First Lady are also scheduled to attend a special luncheon hosted in their honor by the UAE government.  

The President is also set to appear as the keynote speaker at the Maldives Investment Forum on Tuesday, and participate in a Q&A panel discussion afterwards. 

The President and First Lady are also scheduled to meet with Maldivian diplomats, their families and members of the Maldivian community in UAE. 

They will conclude their visit to UAE on Wednesday.  

The First Lady will return to the Maldives, while the President will travel directly from Dubai to Glasgow, Scotland, to participate in the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), which will begin in November. Parliament, Speaker, former President, Mohamed Nasheed will join President Solih on his trip to Glasgow. 

World Expo, launched in 1851, is the biggest expo in the world, held with the purpose of connecting governments, companies, international organizations, and the public, and affecting revolutionary changes to populations and the world at large through research and innovation.  

Over 200 countries are participating in this year’s event, which began on October 1 and will continue for a six-month period.  

This is Maldives’ fourth time participating in the expo, which is held every five years.  

This year’s expo is expected to attract 300,000 visitors daily, and over 25 million visitors overall.