The General Assembly of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) has approved the postponement of “Dubai Expo” till October 2021, instead of October 2020, Invest-Gate reports.

A two-thirds majority of BIE’s Member States voted in favor of postponing the next World Expo by one year, according to the exhibition’s higher committee statement.

“The global mega-event will now run from 1 October 2021 to 31 March 2022, a delay that allows all participants to safely navigate the impact of COVID-19, and allows the World Expo to focus on a collective desire for new thinking to identify solutions to some of the greatest challenges of our time,” the statement added.

Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, chairman of the Expo 2020 Dubai Higher Committee, said “We welcome the decision of BIE Member States to support the delay Expo 2020 Dubai by one year. We are thankful to the Member States for their continued commitment to contributing to a World Expo in Dubai that will play a pivotal role in shaping our post-pandemic world at a time when it will be most needed.”

“In their support for the one-year postponement of Expo 2020 Dubai, Member States of the BIE are giving the world the opportunity to reconvene in 2021, when together, we can address the challenges facing humanity and celebrate the unity and solidarity that strengthen us. With its theme ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’, Expo 2020 Dubai will offer the world a unique platform to share the lessons, solutions, and ideas for a better tomorrow,” said Dimitri S. Kerkentzes, secretary-general of the BIE.