The Minister for Presidency, Economy and Enterprise, Jordi Gallardo, and the Secretary of State for Economic Diversification and Innovation, Marc Galabert, presented Andorra´s participation in the Expo Dubai 2020, this afternoon. This international expo will open its doors from the 1st of October to the 30th of March, after having had to be postponed due to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.
As indicated by Minister Gallardo, Andorra will be one of the 191 countries taking part in the Expo and unlike previous editions, every country will have its own pavilion. For the minister, participating in international events of this magnitude serve to “promote the country and its companies, position ourselves as an open living-lab for innovation as well as present the strategies for sustainability of the Andorran economy”.
In this sense the Secretary of State, who is also acting general commissioner of the pavilion, highlighted that the expo is divided into three districts: opportunity, mobility and sustainability, where the Andorran area is located. “A display that must serve as an attraction for visitors to discover our country”, he pointed out. Along these same lines, the director of the Andorran pavilion, Jordi Canut, explained, from Dubai, that over the course of this week the last preparations are taking place so that the different spaces are ready for the inauguration in two weeks: “we have worked for it to become a sensorial and immersive space” which includes several areas with a model, AR glasses and a large screen in a halfmoon shape.
Among the most notable events over the 6 months is the National Day celebration, which in Andorra´s case is the 28th of January. There will be a visit by Authorities, an agenda of bilateral meetings, a presentation of the country and cultural acts. Furthermore, Gallardo added, “a business mission is being organized with Andorran companies from the 25th to the 29th of January with the aim of exploring opportunities in the Middle-Eastern market and favor the internationalization process”. To participate companies must register before the 7th of October–all information on this project is available at www.andorrabusiness.com.
With regards to the cost of the project, Andorran participation is made possible thanks to the 1.5million Euro donation by Expo Dubai and will have a cost for Andorra of 150.000 Euros. It is the fourth time Andorra participates in International or Universal expos, after Lisbon 1998, Hannover 2000 and Zaragoza 2008.
Text and photo: Govern d’Andorra
