Expo 2020 Dubai’s Mission Possible – The Opportunity Pavilion addresses the most fundamental global challenges of our time and highlights what can be achieved when individuals and communities work together to make the world a better place
Small steps can inspire massive change in the world – that’s the underlying message at Expo 2020 Dubai’s Opportunity Pavilion. Mission Possible – The Opportunity Pavilion has been welcoming visitors to the district since the fair first opened its doors in October 2021, encouraging everyone to play an active role in creating a better future for generations to come.
One of the three subthemes of the mega event alongside mobility and sustainability, the Opportunity Pavilion takes visitors on an interactive journey that addresses the most fundamental global challenges of our time. Through its showcase, it sheds light on what can be achieved when individuals and communities work together. As the pavilion that brings the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to life, Mission Possible is also the home of the United Nations’ physical presence at Expo 2020 Dubai, featured through a dedicated space – the UN Hub.
Designed by AGI Architects, Mission Possible – The Opportunity Pavilion was conceived as an expansive plaza to reflect its aim of providing a platform for social and cross-cultural engagement. Floating 32 metres above the ground, the pavilion’s canopy represents clouds, which are in constant transformation, and the dreams that we all aspire to achieve. A terracotta carpet covers the ground and the pavilion’s facade, which represents Earth.
The experience at Mission Possible focuses on three key themes – water, food and energy (resources that were chosen as they are basic human needs and are part of the SDGs). These zones illustrate how unlocking opportunity at a local level can be used for the greater global good.
At the pavilion, visitors are guided through three parallel tracks – each representing one of the key themes – by three individuals whose innovative projects were implemented with minimal resources, yet had life-changing impacts.
Abel Cruz from Peru addresses water shortages through nets that harvest fog and turn it into water. UAE national Mariam Al Juneibi promotes sustainable farming and healthy eating practices while encouraging people to grow their own vegetables. Finally, Fatma Juma Haji, who has helped create sustainable energy in Zanzibar, where less than four percent of the population has access to electricity, teaches people how to harness solar energy by installing solar panels.
The community members of each guide also share how their overall lives have improved following access to water, food and energy. This demonstrates the interdependency of different SDGs and how meeting basic human requirements unlocks other opportunities.
The thought-provoking experience concludes at the Pledge Room, an upside-down space that can be accessed through the canopy, where visitors are asked to commit to a course of action that will make a difference in their own and their community’s lives.
Building on the interactive journey at the pavilion, the UN Hub has provided a dynamic set of programmes to inform and engage visitors and also inspire them to take impactful action towards a thriving future for people and the planet by contributing to the SDGs.
Meanwhile, Mission Possible also hosts Expo 2020 Dubai’s Global Best Practice Programme, which spotlights simple but effective initiatives linked to the SDGs that can be adapted, replicated or scaled for enhanced global impact. The Best Practice Area showcases the 50 projects supported under the programme, reiterating the message that collective action can and will result in a better world.
For more information, visit expo2020dubai.com