Reem Bint Al Hashimy: A charismatic figure who made it possible
- 01 Oct 2021
Inayat-Ur-Rahman, Business Editor
The Expo 2020 charts a new way forward for the country, its residents and citizens. Largely women-led by the likes of Reem Al Hashimy , Managing Director of Expo 2020, the powerhouse who is leading the charge in organising the mega event dubbed the biggest show on Earth, which formally opened its doors to the world on Friday.
Reem was hugely instrumental in Dubai’s winning bid to host Expo 2020. As well as being Director General for the Dubai Expo 202 she is also the UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation. She became a cabinet minister in 2008.
In February 2016, Reem Al Hashimy was sworn in as Minister of State for International Cooperation in the UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. Additionally, she is responsible to the Cabinet for the UAE’s bilateral relations with sub-Saharan countries in Africa.
In November 2013, as Managing Director of Dubai’s World Expo 2020 bid, She oversaw the historic success at the Bureau International des Expositions. As a result, Dubai Expo 2020 will be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) for the first time.
When the world was reeling in the worst Covid-19 pandemic, Reem Al Hashimy delivered this historic message, which speaks volumes. “When we come together as one, humanity knows no limits. Our promise still stands – connecting minds, creating the future.”
Expo 2020 Dubai will smash stereotypes of Arab women as the first world fair to be held in the Arab world is led by a woman, women leaders at the helm of the world fair announced recently.
They said Expo 2020 would not have been what it is – inclusive, female-oriented and universal - if it were not led by Reem Al Hashimy, the UAE Minister of State for International Affairs.
Expo 2020 Dubai will be the first world exposition since 1900 to have a pavilion solely dedicated to women.
Breaking stereotypes and deconstructing misconceptions on women’s roles, the pavilion will raise awareness by showcasing both female and male contributors to women’s empowerment and gender equality, inspiring visitors of all ages to become change-makers within their own communities and beyond.
Reem Al Hashimy said: “The international community has made progress in gender equality and women’s empowerment, but much more needs to be done. By welcoming visitors from across the planet and from every walk of life, Expo 2020 Dubai is a unique, powerful platform that will drive the necessary attention to this issue.
“Gender equality and women’s empowerment (GEWE) has been a central principle of the UAE since its inception 50 years ago as evidenced in initiatives by great female leaders such as Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak and Her Highness Sheikha Hind Bint Maktoum bin Juma Al Maktoum.
We in the UAE have practiced empowering women as integral to national development, and so it has proven in half a century of unprecedented growth.
The pace of our development is only going to quicken with what we aim to achieve in the next 50 years. Unless we place gender equality and women’s empowerment centre stage, we will not progress at the pace we need to.”
At the launching ceremony of the Sustainability Pavilion Reem Al Hashimy, said: “We are delighted to start 2021 on such a positive note as we welcome the UAE community to be the first to experience Terra – The Sustainability Pavilion at a moment in our history that is unparalleled in terms of its impact on humanity.
“This period of rapid, unprecedented change has brought with it a pressing need to rethink the way we exist, and is further accelerated by a global health crisis that has touched each and every individual on Earth. While 2020 may be remembered as a year that changed us forever, it has also given us a tremendous opportunity to come together as a global society and find answers to our most pressing challenges.
“This remains the focal purpose of Expo 2020 Dubai and the vision of the UAE’s leadership, while our Thematic Pavilions – Opportunity, Mobility and Sustainability – rally the call for collective action to tackle these challenges in order to create a better future for all humanity.” ‘Dignity’ was the first of tens of thousands of words that will create a stunning message from humanity to another civilisation as the UK Pavilion opens at Expo 2020 Dubai. In a concept inspired by Stephen Hawking, visitors to the UK Pavilion will be invited to donate a word they feel describes humanity or life on Earth.
Advanced AI technology will use these words to generate individual poetic couplets that will combine to create a Collective Message projected on the UK Pavilion’s stunning cone-shaped structure from 1st October 2021 to 31st March 2022.
‘Dignity’ launches a message that will constantly evolve throughout the event as more and more visitors from around the world make their own contributions.
The algorithm used to create the AI-generated poetic couplets was trained on 15,000 poems from more than 100 British poets.
Tying in with the Pavilion’s theme, Innovating for a Shared Future, the interactive poetry installation will explore whether a computer programme can express the complex nature of humanity through verse.
