RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s crown prince announced that Riyadh has submitted a formal request to host the World Expo 2030 on Friday. The theme proposed by the Kingdom is “The era of change: Leading the planet to a foresighted tomorrow.” In a letter to the World Expo’s organizing body, Bureau International des Expositions, Prince Mohammed bin Salman said: “We live in an era of change, and we face an unprecedented need for humanity’s collective action. “It is clear that the whole world, as a collective, needs to work together to foresee the future and address, with its brightest minds, the challenges and opportunities that emanate from this change,” the crown prince added. Prince Mohammed highlighted that “the 2030 World Expo in Riyadh will coincide with the culmination of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.” The Saudi Vision 2030 is a strategic framework to reduce the Kingdom’s dependence on oil, diversify its economy, and develop public service sectors such as health, education, infrastructure, recreation, and tourism and was launched by the crown prince in 2016. “This vision represents the Kingdom’s ambitions for the future; a vision that aims to leverage the boundless energy of its youth to create a sustainable tomorrow for the benefit of future generations – in which all citizens advance their dreams, surpass their hopes, and go beyond their ambitions,” Prince Mohammed said. The crown prince also said that “the World Expo 2030 will represent an extraordinary opportunity to share with the world our lessons from this unprecedented transformation.” The letter was delivered in Paris to the secretary general of the BIE, Dimitri Kerkentzes, by the chief executive officer of the Royal Commission for Riyadh City Fahd Al-Rasheed. Expo 2030 will take place from Oct. 1, 2030 to April 1, 2031. The Royal Commission for Riyadh City, which is the authority responsible for the city of Riyadh and is chaired by the crown prince, will lead the Saudi bid for the World Expo 2030. Additional details of the proposal will be submitted to the BIE in Paris in December. World Expos, officially known as international registered exhibitions, are a global gathering of nations dedicated to finding solutions to pressing challenges of their time and have been held since 1851.