UAE Vice-President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has issued directives to set up an executive body that will be responsible for the UAE's international bid to host the World EXPO 2020 under the theme 'Connecting Minds, Creating the Future.'

Sheikh Mohammed stressed that the UAE, under the wise leadership of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, is fully capable of hosting universal cultural events of this magnitude and lobbying for international support for its bid. The World EXPO 2020 is expected to attract millions of visitors over a period of six months, where participating countries set up pavilions showcasing their social, cultural and economic achievements.

Further highlighting UAE's preparedness for the bid, Sheikh Mohammed said that the country's state-of-the-art infrastructure is ranked among the best in the world by the World Economic Forum (WEF). Furthermore, the country is strategically located between East and West, let alone its outstanding history of successes in hosting global events.

According to the resolution, the executive authority will be chaired by Chairman of Dubai Civil Aviation and Chief Executive of Emirates Group Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum with Minister of State Reem Ibrahim Al Hashemi as deputy chairman and chief executive officer. Members of the body will include representatives from local and federal government authorities.

The authority will prepare a full dossier for the international competition on hosting the World EXPO 2020 and for lobbying for international support from 157 member countries of the Bureau of International Expositions (BIE).

The UAE is competing with Russia, Brazil, Turkey and Thailand. The winning country will be announced in 2013. If its bid wins, the UAE will host the World EXPO under the theme "Connecting Minds, Creating the Future" in Dubai from 4 January to 30 June 2020.