With the Expo 2020 Dubai postponed to next year due to the pandemic, Economic Affairs Ministry says it provides Bhutan with an opportunity to prepare and innovate better for an effective expo. because of the pandemic.
The six-month, multibillion-dollar global innovation fair, set to be the largest event ever staged was supposed to start from October 20 this year, it will now be held from October 2021 to March 2022. The expo is themed on Connecting Minds and Creating Future celebrating humanity’s resilience, creativity, culture and innovation
“They have sub-themes like opportunity, mobility and sustainability. For Bhutan, we will base our theme within GNH because this is how Bhutan is known and there will have some good governance and sustainable socio-economic development. We will have some cultural presentation and from the environment side also we will be participating in some of the talks and shows. When we take the products also we will try to show all these values of GNH,” said Loknath Sharma, the Economic Affairs Minister who is also the Commissioner-General for Expo 2020.
Bhutan plans to showcase Bhutanese artefacts, painting, miniatures of Taktsang Monastery and traditional house, non-perishable Bhutanese products and many more.
Bhutan will also celebrate the National Day at the expo.
“The main agenda for us to join this expo is to increase our cultural diplomacy, to increase the interaction with countries, to see the possibility of our trade diversification. So our goal or our expectation is getting some interested investors from Europe and also have some trade partners through business to business, engagements with them, or business to government and also we want to increase the visibility of Bhutan. So we are really expecting huge benefits,” Lyonpo added.
Expo 2020 Dubai is providing services and infrastructure worth USD 40 M and a 40ft free container for transhipment to Bhutan. Some 192 countries are participating in the Expo and it is expected to attract around 24 million visitors.
Sangay Chezom
