More than 400 World Expo delegates and businessmen attend the Second Participants Meeting of World Expo Shanghai 2010 that wrapped up on Friday. —Shanghai Daily

Shanghai Daily news

Preparations for World Expo 2010 are right on track. Organizers brief 400 national delegates and business people on everything from wheelchair access and prayer rooms to vegetarian menus.

More than 400 World Expo delegates and business people from around the world converged on Shanghai this past week for an update on the world's fair that will symbolize the 21st century and put China in the spotlight.

The message: Planning and construction for the World Expo in 2010 is right on track. Organizers are thinking of everything from keeping it green to providing wheelchair access, vegetarian menus and prayer rooms.

The Second Participants Meeting of World Expo Shanghai 2010 wrapped up on Friday at the Four Points by Sheraton Youyou Hotel.

So far, 180 countries and international organizations have signed up for the 184-day event that begins on May 1, 2010. China's goal is 200 participants. The theme is "Better City, Better Life," as more and more people are migrating to cities worldwide and urban problems take center stage.

During the two-day working meeting, Chinese officials delivered briefings on all aspects of preparations, national delegations viewed the site where their pavilions will be built and Expo questions were raised and answered.

A highlight of the event was the launch of a one-stop Website for participants, www.expo2010.china.com. This enables all participants to check on progress and interact with organizers.

"The meeting was conducive to cooperation, meaningful and productive," said Zhou Hanmin, deputy director general of the Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination.

Vicente Loscertales, secretary general of the Bureau of International Expositions (BIE), said the reports were very useful to participants.
"This is a very practical, working meeting for both participants and organizers. I am here to find useful information, guidelines and milestones," said a French BIE representative.

Badeji Abikoye, trade commissioner from Nigeria, said his country has high expectations of the Expo, especially in showcasing solutions to pollution problems. Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, is highly urbanized and is a major oil producer. Air, water and soil pollution are major issues.

Serbian delegate Milica Zatezalo said the Shanghai Expo will be a big challenge "because it's the first time that Serbia has taken the floor as an independent country. It's a huge opportunity to let the world see another image of Serbia."

Maria Asunta Accili, secretary general of the Italian Commission for World Expo 2010, said the participants' meetings were well organized.

Loscertales of BIE emphasized that these were working meetings, practical sessions in which details could be worked out and questions answered.

For countries at the earliest stages of preparations for the Expo, these meetings were useful for their initial exploration. "It's a chance to network and get to know people," said Bernard Testu, Expo commissioner general of France.

Participants with more concrete plans for their pavilions, such as the Italian and Serbian delegations, were keen on finding out the location of their pavilions and operational details.

In many question-and-answer sessions, delegates raised their particular concerns. The British delegation raised the issue of access for people with physical disabilities and the vision-impaired. Arild H. Bilxrud, Norwegian project director for the Expo, added that provisions should be made throughout the Expo for people with disabilities.

Expo organizers have promised that the event will be easily accessible to those with disabilities, and an exhibition will be devoted to the issues of urban people with disabilities.

Asian delegates also raised the issue of catering for different religions, such as prayer rooms for Muslims, and dietary requirements, such as vegetarian menus.

Organizers are making provisions for visitors of different religions and those with different dietary requirements.

For international organizations like the World Trade Organization the session was a chance to promote their message. "We have projects in 309 cities, and the greatest challenge for us will be to represent the uniqueness of each in 181 days of the Expo," said a WTO delegate.

For developing countries, mass urbanization is a pressing issue. "Our cities are developing," said Ramadhan Hashim Kahlfan of Tanzania, "so we need to know how best to manage this process. We can learn a lot from the Chinese and from this Expo."

"The city theme really fits well with the history of Italy," said Professor Beniamino Quintieri, Italian commissioner general for the Expo. "Even in our smaller cities there is not just economic development but a sense of cultural identity, a local tradition. This is what we want to teach the world - the harmonious combination of technology with art, with the environment and with culture."