UAE receives silver medal at Expo 2012

The UAE Pavilion at Expo 2012 Yeosu Korea has been awarded a Silver Medal for its creative display. With over 100 participating countries categorised into A, B and C classes depending on their level of participation, the UAE was assessed alongside ten other major nations in the top-rated A class. The UAE pavilion’s films focused on the theme, ‘Living Ocean and Coast’, were selected by the judges for their high quality and strong impact on audiences. The main film showing in the pavilion, “The Turtle”, has drawn considerable praise from critics and visitors alike. The judging panel of the BIE Medal Awards made a special mention of the film in their comments at the award ceremony, prior to the closing of the three-month exhibition. The BIE Medal Awards are hotly contested by the participating countries at the Expo. The UAE’s achievement in beating all other members of the top class (with the exception of China) was widely recognised. The bronze medal for  creative display was awarded to Australia and other competing nations included the US, Japan, Russia, Germany, Turkey, Italy, Spain and Denmark. “I take the opportunity to congratulate our Korean friends on hosting a very successful Expo event on the globally important theme of Living Ocean and Coast,” stated Shaikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Foreign Minister and Chairman of the National Media Council, which is responsible for running the UAE Pavilion at the Expo. “I am also pleased that we have received this recognition for our sustained efforts to make a positive contribution to the Expo movement, led by BIE. We look forward to participating at Expo 2015 in Milan and at Expo 2017, and indeed hope for successful outcome of our bid to host Expo 2020 in Dubai. I believe that awards such as this demonstrate our serious commitment towards, and understanding of, the core values of BIE and the main goals of all such events. I can promise all participating countries that the UAE is putting all its weight behind the 2020 bid and that, if successful, the event itself will remain true to these values while creating a display that will live long in people’s memories and contribute towards positive change in different fields.” Reem Al Hashimi, Minister of State and Managing Director of the Higher Committee for Hosting the World Expo 2020, reiterated the Foreign Minister’s comments and congratulated the National Media Council on its management of the UAE Pavilion project in Korea. “We have learnt a great deal about the whole Expo process through our involvement with this great event,” she added. “I look forward to putting these lessons into practice as we progress towards the decision day at the BIE General Assembly in November 2013. I remain convinced that, notwithstanding the worthy bids of our competitors, the UAE is the best and most logical location to host Expo 2020. It is a big challenge but one that we are very confident that we can fulfil,” she added. The UAE Pavilion Commissioner, Ibrahim Al Abed, thanked the President, His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan; the UAE Cabinet under His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai; and Abu Dhabi Government under General Shaikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces; for their strong support for the UAE’s participation at Expo 2012. He also paid tribute to the National Media Council staff members who managed the pavilion. The Silver Medal was received on behalf of the UAE Government by Pavilion Director and Deputy Commissioner, Abdulla Al Aidarous, who acknowledged the strong support given to the Expo pavilion project by federal and national governments. He also paid tribute to the Emirati volunteers and artists who added such a strong national flavour to the pavilion, helping to portray the country in a very positive light. He also thanked the pavilion’s staff members for their strong support.