Dubai’s Expo 2020 presents the perfect opportunity for participating countries hit hard by coronavirus last year to jumpstart their economies and engage in trade negotiations, according to the head of the Malaysia Pavilion.
With 191 participating nations, Expo 2020 Dubai will open a “huge set of opportunities for all the nations in the world”, said Shamsul Bahar Mohammed Nor, CEO at Malaysian Green Technology Corporation, leading agency for the Malaysia Pavilion at Expo 2020.
“What we want to highlight is that when you trade with Malaysia, both parties will benefit not only in the business itself but through job creation and the increase of the GDP in both countries. This is why we believe that Dubai Expo is a very important event where the whole world will be meeting and negotiating,” said Nor.
“Because of Covid-19, most of the world’s economies have been hit badly so this is an opportunity for the global nations to come forward and start to do business all over again,” he added.
For Malaysia, the most significant trade opportunity lies in their agro-commodity sector and namely in palm oil.
As one of the largest producers of palm oil – accounting for 25.8 percent and 34.3 percent of world’s palm oil production and exports respectively – Malaysia is hoping to “introduce the Gulf region and neighbouring countries to the commodity”, said Nor.
Having come under fire recently for allegations of human rights and environmental violations in its palm oil production, Malaysia is going to highlight its commitment to sustainability and the environment through the six-month global event in Dubai, explained Nor.
Shamsul Bahar Mohammed Nor, CEO at Malaysian Green Technology Corporation.
“We want to showcase to the world that Malaysia is looking at green plantations and is closely monitoring the production process in the plantations,” he said.
“We’ve launched a programme whereby we will be planting a 100 million trees so whatever is taken in land clearance is given back. We want to highlight our efforts in forest conservation,” added Nor.
At the Rio Earth Summit in 1992, Malaysia had pledged to maintain at least 50 percent of its landmass as forest and tree cover to help reverse global warming but exceeded that, reaching 55.3 percent to date.
Nor said Malaysia hopes to reveal its low carbon mobility blueprint during Expo. The plan outlines a roadmap for the country to introduce electric buses, motorbikes and vehicles and industrialists to record whatever carbon they release.
Tourism is another aspect which Malaysia will be highlighting during Expo 2020 with a focus on its medical and education tourism opportunities.
“The tourism industry has been hit hard over the past year-and-a-half with movement control and closed borders,” said Nor.
“By October of this year, 100 percent of Malaysians will be vaccinated and we want to highlight that in Expo to assure potential visitors that Malaysia is safe” he continued.
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