Saudi Arabia to Host World Expo in 2030, Crown Prince Hails Win as Culmination of Saudi Vision Goals

Saudi Arabia secured a decisive victory in the bid to host the Expo 2030 World Fair, as announced by the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) in Paris on Tuesday.
The confirmation came after Riyadh overwhelmingly garnered 119 votes in the initial round, marking a landslide triumph.
Following this announcement, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman declared that the Kingdom is set to deliver an “unprecedented edition in the history of hosting Expos,” emphasizing that “Riyadh's win in hosting Expo solidifies its leading role.”
Riyadh outperformed the Italian capital, Rome, and the South Korean city of Busan by a wide margin during the initial round of voting.
BIE announced that the kingdom would be hosting the exhibition after a secret ballot was cast during the 173rd General Assembly of BIE in Paris.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman extended his congratulations to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud to mark the landmark occasion.
“The kingdom’s selection as the host of the World Expo 2030 underlines its influential and leading role and the international confidence it enjoys. Saudi Arabia has become an ideal destination for hosting major international events, including the esteemed World Expo,” said the Crown Prince.
“The World Expo 2030 coincides with a crucial year for the realization of the goals and plans outlined in Saudi Vision 2030.”
“This Expo represents a remarkable opportunity to share with the world the lessons learned from our unprecedented journey of transformation,” he added.
The Crown Prince stressed Riyadh’s readiness to welcome the world at Expo 2030, and the fact that it will fulfill the obligations stipulated in the bid with the aim of achieving the main theme of the expo, “The Era of Change: Together for a Foresighted Tomorrow”, and its subtopics: “A Different Tomorrow”, “Climate Action”, and “Prosperity for All.”
The Kingdom's bid to host the Expo received strong and direct support from the Crown Prince, starting with the Kingdom’s official application to the BIE on October 29, 2021.
The Long Parisian Day: Unraveling the Details
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan’s confidence in Riyadh’s bid to host Expo 2030 was not misplaced. In his presentation of Riyadh’s file before the BIE, Prince Faisal asserted that the Kingdom would emerge victorious in the competition against Italy and South Korea.
The top diplomat had affirmed that 130 countries expressed confidence in Riyadh’s proposal, and its capability to host the exposition.
According to BIE’s secretary-general, it is rare for a candidate country to secure victory from the first round, a feat achieved by Saudi Arabia with two-thirds of the votes from the outset.
During Tuesday’s session, the Saudi delegation was the last to address the General Assembly, following the diverse presentation from the South Korean and Italian delegations.
The Saudi Presentation
The Saudi delegation, led by Prince Faisal, delivered a cohesive presentation under the theme “From the World, To the World.”
They emphasized Saudi Arabia’s commitment to establishing the largest network of cooperation with nations worldwide.
Notably, Riyadh expressed its intent to allocate $384 million to assist 100 nations in need, enabling their participation in “Expo Riyadh 2030” under the banner of “One World, One Pavilion.”
Prince Faisal underscored the Kingdom’s focus on developmental goals, accelerating progress on all fronts, and addressing global challenges, including climate change, sustainable development, and international cooperation.
Speaking as he led the Saudi delegation at the general assembly on Tuesday, Prince Faisal stated, "The Kingdom is committed to collaborating with all stakeholders to deliver a distinctive edition of Expo 2030."
Princess Haifa Al-Mogrin, Saudi Arabia's representative to UNESCO, stated that the Kingdom will collaborate with all nations every step of the way until 2030.
She highlighted the focus on providing opportunities for education, health, environment, and prosperity for all.
Expo Hosting Journey
Among the five cities that initially submitted bids to host Expo 2030, two dropped out of the race early: Moscow and the Ukrainian city of Odessa, overlooking the Black Sea.
Moscow withdrew its bid due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and Odessa was not considered by the BIE as it did not meet the necessary conditions for organizing such a significant event.
This left Riyadh, Rome, and Busan as the remaining contenders, each presenting ambitious plans to host the prestigious expo, considered the global event in the exhibition field.
After a series of successive stages in the bidding process, the decisive moment arrived on Nov.28 with the electronic voting by the 180 member countries.
The BIE provided the final opportunity for the three competing parties to present their arguments and focus on key points they deemed “winning.”
The BIE director emphasized the need for strict adherence to the allocated time, not exceeding 20 minutes per presentation.
After Riyadh’s bid won the right to host the Expo 2030 world fair, Prince Faisal affirmed that Saudi Arabia’s victory “signifies the Kingdom's status and the international community's confidence in it.”
Prince Faisal emphasized that Saudi Arabia would present a “new type” of Expo in 2030, changing the dynamics of international exhibitions.
He expressed pride in the Kingdom’s exceptional success and thanked the nations that voted in Riyadh’s favor, acknowledging the presentations by South Korea and Italy.
Once again, he underscored that the expo is “not just for Saudi Arabia but for the entire world,” with Riyadh planning to involve all nations in its conception, planning, and execution.

Gold prices rose over 1% to hit a two-week peak on Friday, heading for the best weekly performance in more than a year, buoyed by safe-haven demand as Russia-Ukraine tensions intensified.

Spot gold jumped 1.3% to $2,703.05 per ounce as of 1245 GMT, hitting its highest since Nov. 8. US gold futures gained 1.1% to $2,705.30.

Bullion rose despite the US dollar hitting a 13-month high, while bitcoin hit a record peak and neared the $100,000 level.

"With both gold and USD (US dollar) rising, it seems that safe-haven demand is lifting both assets," said UBS analyst Giovanni Staunovo.

Ukraine's military said its drones struck four oil refineries, radar stations and other military installations in Russia, Reuters reported.

Gold has gained over 5% so far this week, its best weekly performance since October 2023. Prices have gained around $173 after slipping to a two-month low last week.

"We understand that the price setback has been used by 'Western world' investors under-allocated to gold to build exposure considering the geopolitical risks that are still around. So we continue to expect gold to rise further over the coming months," Staunovo said.

Bullion tends to shine during geopolitical tensions, economic risks, and a low interest rate environment. Markets are pricing in a 59.4% chance of a 25-basis-points cut at the Fed's December meeting, per the CME Fedwatch tool.

However, "if Fed skips or pauses its rate cut in December, that will be negative for gold prices and we could see some pullback," said Soni Kumari, a commodity strategist at ANZ.

The Chicago Federal Reserve president reiterated his support for further US interest rate cuts on Thursday.

On Friday, spot silver rose 1.8% to $31.34 per ounce, platinum eased 0.1% to $960.13 and palladium fell 0.6% to $1,023.55. All three metals were on track for a weekly rise.

Saudi Arabia to Host World Expo in 2030, Crown Prince Hails Win as Culmination of Saudi Vision Goals