Canada concludes its inclusive participation at Expo 2020 Dubai

April 04^th, 2022, Ottawa, Ontario – Global Affairs Canada:

Canada is honoured to have participated in Expo 2020 Dubai, which successfully concluded after six months of operations.

The theme for Canada’s participation at Expo 2020 Dubai, “The Future in Mind” was an invitation to reflect on how to address emerging challenges and seize opportunities for innovation. The Canada Pavilion welcomed visitors to discover the diversity, creativity, and openness of Canada as a destination to invest, do business, study, immigrate and visit.

From the outset of Expo 2020 Dubai, the Canada pavilion was remarkable for its cultural programming, led by Canada's National Arts Centre, including the participation of an all-Aboriginal delegation of artists, speakers, panelists and cultural contributors during Tolerance and Inclusion Week and the Te Aratini Festival of Indigenous & Tribal Ideas.

Recognized as one of the top countries in the world for the quality of its education programs, Canada’s participation in Expo’s Knowledge & Learning Week in December 2021 put a spotlight on its innovative contributions to global education. Under the banner of “Together for Learning @RewirEd”, Canada participated in events that touched on education in emergencies, catch-up and accelerated learning for out of school children, and gender-transformative education. These events prominently featured Canada’s priorities on girls’ education, especially in conflict and crisis.

On International Women’s Day (March 8, 2022), the Commissioner General for Canada at Expo 2020 Dubai, Marie-Geneviève Mounier and Canada’s Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, Marcy Grossman commemorated Canada’s theme “Women Inspiring Women”. The theme celebrates the diverse women and girls who inspire us by demonstrating leadership in the choices they make in their day-to-day lives to contribute to the social, economic, cultural, and political spheres.

On March 19, the Governor General of Canada, Her Excellency the Right Honourable Mary Simon, led Canada’s delegation to its National Day at Expo 2020 Dubai. The Honourable Mary Ng, Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development accompanied the Governor General during her visit to Expo 2020 Dubai.

The Canada Pavilion marked its National Day at Expo 2020 Dubai with a robust cultural and business program highlighting the economic, cultural and people-to-people ties between Canada, the United Arab Emirates and the broader Middle East region that are strengthened by Canada's participation in Expo 2020 Dubai.

On March 20, the Canada Pavilion joined the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie, Expo 2020 Dubai, and the member pavilions of the Francophonie family, to mark the International Day of la Francophonie at Expo. This day was an opportunity to celebrate the French language, spoken by more than 320 million people on five continents, and to showcase the richness and diversity of Francophone cultures, including Canadian artists.

The UAE premiere of “Peace by Chocolate,” a Canadian film directed by Jonathan Keijser, and inspired by the true story of the Hadhad family, rounded out Canada’s National Day at Expo.

Throughout the six months of Expo, Canada’s commercial program was key in promoting Canadian exports and investment in Canada and helping Canadian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) find meaningful opportunities for their global expansion in the UAE and the Middle-East and North Africa region.

Led by Global Affairs Canada, Canada’s participation was enriched and made possible through partnerships with organisations such as Invest in Canada - a signature sponsor - the National Arts Centre, the National Film Board, Parks Canada, Ingenium, and many others that helped the Canada pavilion shine at Expo 2020 Dubai.