Saudi Arabia might be excluded from hosting World Expo 2030 in light of the increasing human rights violations committed during Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's era.
Sources familiar with the matter said that Saudi Arabia will not be able to compete with Italy, South Korea, and Ukraine to organise this event.
A group of civil society organisations working to further civil and political rights in the Middle East have co-signed a letter to the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), citing concerns regarding Saudi Arabia's bid as a possible host for the 2030 World Expo.
The group outlines the systematic abuse and repression of rights defenders, as well as restrictions to fundamental freedoms such as women's rights, a lack of due process, and frequent arbitrary detention in the Kingdom, as being at odds with the values of the BIE.
The signatories said, “The Kingdom’s hosting of entertainment and sports events constitutes whitewashing of the government’s repression and its abysmal human rights record, both past and present.”
According to the letter, the Saudi leadership has no compunction in pursuing extravagant projects, regardless of the human toll. For instance, Saudi Arabia claims its NEOM smart city project will be “an accelerator of human progress that will embody the future of innovation in business, liveability, and sustainability.”
The reality is that since 2020, the construction of NEOM has displaced a number of indigenous tribes in the Tabuk province, many of whom were unfairly and disproportionately punished for resisting eviction. Among them is the al-Huwaitat tribe, several of whose members have been sentenced to decades-long prison terms and even execution on trumped-up “terrorism” charges, simply for opposing their displacement.
A group of UN experts recently denounced these violations and urged “all companies involved, including foreign investors, to ensure that they are not causing or contributing to, or directly linking to serious human rights abuses”.
Over the past two months, the BIE mission has visited the four candidates competing to organize the Expo. The examination phase is a must for each of the four candidate countries to be considered for election.
The Expo background
The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations, also known as the Great Exhibition or the Crystal Palace Exhibition (in reference to the temporary structure in which it was held), was an international exhibition that took place in Hyde Park, London, from 1 May to 15 October 1851.
It was the first in a series of World's Fairs, exhibitions of culture and industry that became popular in the 19th century. The event was organised by Henry Cole and Prince Albert, husband of Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom.
The host country of World Expo 2030 will be elected by BIE Member States, through a secret ballot, on the principle of one country, one vote during the BIE General Assembly in November 2023.
Reliable sources revealed that Saudi Arabia is the fifth-largest military spender worldwide, spending some $75 billion last year. Supposedly, this puts Riyadh above the UK, Germany, and France.
Saudi Arabia's military spending in 2022 increased by 16%, reaching an estimated $75 billion, the largest since 2018, the sources clarified.
In 2022, Riyadh spent an estimated $75bn on its military, according to the sources, up from the $48bn it spent in 2021. This was more than seven percent of the country's gross domestic product.
