As part of an ongoing outreach campaign to generate support for the UAE’s bid to host the 2020 World Expo in Dubai, the Expo team this week opened an informational kiosk on the campus of The British University in Dubai (BUiD). This kiosk, which provides visitors key insights into the UAE’s Expo bid, is designed to encourage students and faculty to take part in the country’s campaign to win the right to welcome the world on the eve of the UAE’s 50th anniversary.

This initiative at BUiD follows similar programmes recently launched at the American University in Dubai, the Canadian University in Dubai, the University of Wollongong in Dubai and Zayed University. These events are part of a continuing series of outreach initiatives designed to raise nationwide awareness of the country’s Expo bid among diverse communities, including young people.

Throughout the daylong outreach programme, the Expo team highlighted how hosting the Expo would create new opportunities for young people to think, explore and connect with the global community while learning first-hand about innovative solutions to the world’s biggest challenges.

Professor Abdullah Alshamsi , BUiD’s Vice Chancellor, said “The British University in Dubai is very pleased to be supporting the UAE’s bid to host the 2020 World Expo in Dubai. Since this event is an international event which conforms with the strategic plan of the government of Dubai and UAE, and as Dubai is an international hub for world trade and economic activity, we are confident of success due to the highly developed and integrated urban infrastructure already in place in Dubai and its world class management.”

The Expo team also encouraged the academic community across the country to join the campaign, commenting that these ongoing outreach initiatives are key to raising awareness among students and strengthening the UAE’s Expo bid.

Dubai, UAE, is competing against four other candidate cities bidding to host the 2020 World Expo, including Ayutthaya (Thailand); Ekaterinburg (Russia); Izmir (Turkey); and Sao Paulo (Brazil).

The winning city will be announced in November 2013 following a vote by the 161 member nations of the Bureau International des Expositions – the international body responsible for overseeing the bidding, selection and organisation of World Expos.