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UN to represent six billion
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With a giant-sized replica of a baby towering 6.5 meters high to greet visitors as they enter the doors, Spain has the largest representation of new life at the Expo. The United Kingdom, stocking more than 60,000 seeds into transparent rods, has the largest representation of plant life. But it's the United Nations that has the largest representation of human lives. Six billion, to be exact.
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UN Commissioner General Dr. Awni Behnam |
UN Commissioner General Dr. Awni Behnam believes the World Expo's theme of "Better City, Better Life" couldn't summarize the work of the UN better.
"Ultimately, what the UN does, whether it's in development, in peace keeping, in humanitarian law, is aimed at one single issue – ensure that people are happy," Behnam said.
As most of the world's population now lives in cities, he says much of the UN's work revolves around the issues presented at the Expo.
"How can you have better life if you cannot cater for that life to be better? If you don't build cities that are resilient? If you don't build cities that can cater for the security, economic welfare and creativity of people?"
The UN is taking advantage of the Expo to bring people together and create cultural dialogues. Many world-renown poets, architects and scholars have been invited to speak about a myriad of global issues in the pavilion's net zero carbon footprint rooms.
In addition to holding open discussions, the pavilion displays quiet messages of what it values most – its people. "It's going to be hot in the summer and we provide a roof for shade and shelter while people wait in the lines," Behnam commented, pointing at the queue that was already out the door.
On top of the roof, solar panels to provide the pavilion with electricity can be seen. This no doubt sends a friendly message to many of the visitors, as China is the world's largest producer of solar panels.
About 95 percent of the estimated 1 million guests to visit the pavilion during the Expo are expected to be Chinese. Pavilion coordinator Dr. Lars Reutersward says the pavilion targets the Chinese viewer. "Beijing invited the world in during the Olympics and now we want China to see the world at our pavilion," Reutersward said.
The pavilion shares information about other cultures and features a creative hall, which fuses technology with imaginative sounds and artistic figures.
"We believe that the essence of development and social harmony is creativity. And we cannot ignore the role of the arts, music and the creative mind influencing what we want to see in 'Better City Better Life,'" Behnam said.
The pavilion also features a life-sized cardboard copy of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, which has proved a big hit with photo-loving Chinese guests.
