In a strong showing that was only to be expected, the UAE beat the competition in the crucial voting rounds to grab the rights to host Expo 2020.

The World Expos, held every five to six years, is a trade exhibition that attracts millions of visitors to the host country. The UAE made it clear early in its campaign that it was determined to host the event.

President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan called His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to congratulate him on the win.

Dubai set the tone for their win in the very first round of voting, leading all other aspirants, including heavyweights Russia and Turkey.

The UAE?s performance improved with each vote. They improved their first round showing of 77 votes by gaining 10 more votes in the second round, while heavyweights Russia improved by only two. This gave credence to the fact that any political manoeuvrings that had been expected by countries had been negated by the sheer confidence of the UAE?s performance.

The win was expected given the kind of flawless campaign that the UAE had orchestrated across the world through the past two years. They did it with dignity and panache. Every facet of their preparation maintained a high standards right from the events that were organised to their status as a generous hosts and the impeccable showing of diplomacy by its high calibre ministers and government officials

.An estimated total funding of ?6.5 billion have been earmarked for this event with ?5.2 billion s anticipated as capital investment for the Expo?s infrastructure environment.