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Luxembourg became the first foreign nation to break ground for its pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai on Sunday when Deputy Prime Minister Etienne Schneider held an official ground-breaking ceremony on the site of the next World Expo.
Luxembourg leads the expected 180 countries that are anticipated to take part in the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) region.
Luxembourg’s preparations for Expo 2020 were already impressively advanced – it was the first country to sign an Official Participation Contract for Expo in October 2017, with several members of its Royal Family attending the ceremony.
His Excellency Etienne Schneider was joined at Sunday’s ground-breaking ceremony by Her Excellency Maggy Nagel, General Commissioner of the Luxembourg Pavilion and President of the Board of Management of Luxembourg @ Expo 2020 Dubai and Her Excellency Elisabeth Cardoso, Luxembourg’s Ambassador to the UAE. Najeeb Mohammed Al-Ali, Executive Director, Dubai Expo 2020 Bureau, was also in attendance.
His Excellency Etienne Schneider said: “This Pavilion will be a wonderful opportunity for us to promote what our country stands for – innovation and sustainable development. It will have an eye-catching design that will appeal to all ages and interests, and we hope will be a major attraction for the millions of people attending Expo 2020.
“We are delighted to be the first foreign nation to break ground for its pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai.”
Najeeb Mohammed Al-Ali added: “We congratulate our friends from Luxembourg on being the first nation to pass this important landmark in the Expo 2020 Dubai journey.
“Expo 2020 will bring the countries of the world to the 4.38 sqkm Expo 2020 site in Dubai, all showcasing the best of their national potential and innovation. For the first time, each country will have their own pavilion at a World Expo and we expect to see some marvellous designs as well as wonderful content in them.
“From now on, those pavilions will start to take physical shape alongside some of the inspiring structures that we at Expo 2020 Dubai are now building, such as the Al Wasl Plaza and Sustainability Pavilion.”
The spiral-shaped Luxembourg Pavilion will be located in the Opportunity District of Expo 2020. It will contain an exhibition space, a multi-purpose area, a restaurant, a shop, administrative offices and technical facilities.
Luxembourg last year received approval from Expo 2020 Dubai for the theme and location of its national pavilion. The theme – ‘Resourceful Luxembourg’ – aims to reflect the country’s status as a smart nation that connects the human, natural, technical, industrial and financial resources it needs to shape its future.
The design and architecture will focus on the issues related to resources, both in a wider sense and in detail, by relying on the principles of the circular economy and interconnection. It will illustrate Luxembourg’s ambition, promoting the country’s ability to reinvent itself and its commitment to sustainable growth.
The design was chosen following an open tender process where teams of architects, engineers and scenographers were asked to provide a holistic view of Luxembourg embedded in the theme ‘Resourceful Luxembourg’.
The tender process ended in April 2017 and architects Metaform were later appointed to design the pavilion.
Luxembourg and the UAE enjoy strong bilateral relations and have signed a number of memoranda of understanding and cooperative agreements in the areas of space exploration, financial services and trade.
Expo 2020 Dubai opens on 20 October 2020 and closes six months later, on 10 April 2021. Through its theme ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’, Expo will be a celebration of ingenuity that provides a platform to encourage creativity, innovation and collaboration, underpinned by its three pillars: Opportunity, Mobility and Sustainability.
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