CommunicationPublished on 9 December 2024

A changing world: Expo 2027 in Belgrade

Switzerland will take part in the World Expo in Belgrade in 2027, with 120 participating countries and over 2.6 million visitors expected. Under the motto «Play for Humanity: Sport and Music for All», the event will showcase ideas and solutions in response to the question: «How to prepare the human body, mind and logic for a technology-led world full of insecurities and make humans more resilient for the coming decades?»

Switzerland has taken part in seven World Expos in the past 20 years and has confirmed its participation at Expo 2025 in Osaka and Expo 2027. — © FDFA

Expo 2027 will take place in the Serbian capital Belgrade, which is home to a fast-growing tech start-up scene. The growth trend in the technology sector is reflected in Belgrade's Science Technology Park (STP), which supports start-ups in the development and commercialisation of innovative products and services, with the aim of boosting the competitiveness of Serbia's high-tech industry. Switzerland has been supporting Serbia in the process of becoming an innovation-based economy since 2011, by assisting the export of innovative products and the establishment of science and technology parks. These not only provide the necessary infrastructure and support for companies to focus on the development and research of high-tech products, but also serve as a platform for cooperation and knowledge exchange between companies, universities and research centres.

Switzerland–Serbia relations

The «Technopark Serbia» project promotes the STP and is part of the Swiss Cooperation Programme for Serbia 2022–25, which seeks to foster inclusive and sustainable economic growth. This also includes supporting democratic governance, an active civil society and sustainable urban development.

In addition to the cooperation programme, Switzerland and Serbia enjoy a diverse relationship featuring close human and cultural ties, numerous agreements and good cooperation in multilateral organisations. Serbia is Switzerland's biggest trading partner in the Western Balkans, with an increasing number of Swiss companies setting up in the country, alongside many Swiss investors. The investments made by Swiss companies in Serbia, particularly in production facilities and research and development centres such as the BIO4 Campus, illustrate the close economic ties between the two countries. Switzerland's participation in Expo 2027 in Belgrade will further consolidate this multifaceted relationship.

Expo 2027 Belgrade

Expo 2027 will take place in Belgrade from 15 May to 15 August 2027 under the motto «Play for Humanity: Sport and Music for All». Play as a method of discovery, creation, analytical observation and surpassing the boundaries of the known allows us to continuously reinterpret and reimagine the world around us. This is particularly essential in today's society, which is full of changes, challenges and uncertainties. The latest global trends in infrastructure, tourism, science, technology and artificial intelligence are creating unique opportunities to reshape the world.

As an up-and-coming innovation hub, Belgrade is an ideal setting to discuss the potential of modern technologies. A total of more than 120 participating countries and over 2.6 million visitors are expected. The first-ever Expo in the Western Balkans is seen as an opportunity to usher in a new era of harmony and friendship.

Switzerland's participation in Expo 2027 will be an opportunity to promote networking between the Swiss, Serbian and international IT industry, and to boost the creative sector in particular.

Switzerland at World Expos

Swiss participation in World Expos dates back to 1851, when the country took part in the first such event, the Great Exhibition in London. Fast forward 77 years to 1928 and Switzerland became a founding member of the Bureau International des Expositions, the organisation in charge of overseeing and regulating all international exhibitions.

Switzerland has taken part in seven World Expos in the past 20 years, winning awards on two occasions. In 2025, it will participate in the Osaka World Expo in Japan, 20 years after presenting its 2005 pavilion in that country.

• Expo 2005 Aichi

  While Expo 2025 in Osaka, entitled «Designing Future Society for Our Lives», will focus on sustainable development and achieving the 2030 Agenda goals, Expo 2005 in Aichi was all about «Nature's Wisdom» and the need to protect the natural environment. With this in mind, existing forests and ponds were incorporated into the Expo site.

  Switzerland presented itself as a traditional yet modern country, recreating a mountain landscape to convey an Alpine atmosphere. The Swiss pavilion included a viewing terrace looking out onto a mountain valley. Alongside the archetypal Swiss landscape, objects from Swiss research, technology and innovation were also featured.

  

  The Swiss pavilion at Expo 2005 in Aichi, Japan. — © FDFA

• Expo 2008 Zaragoza

  In 2008, the World Expo was held in the northern Spanish city of Zaragoza under the theme of «Water and Sustainable Development». Texts and images were used to explain Swiss water management practices, including technologies and careful use of the resource. For example, the important role played by reservoirs, hydroelectric power plants and waste water treatment plants in the sustainable use of water was highlighted. Also included was a light animation with water features and clouds.

• Expo 2010 Shanghai

  The World Expo returned to Asia in 2010, when organisers and participants in Shanghai, China, addressed the issues of social mixing, sustainability, security, hygiene and mobility in cities under the motto «Better City, Better Life» The Swiss pavilion featured an IMAX cinema showing the film «The Alps», as well as 3D images linked to sustainable development, environmental protection and public transport. Among the highlights was that quintessentially Swiss means of transport, a chairlift.

  

  The Swiss pavilion at Expo 2010 in Shanghai, China. — © FDFA

• Expo 2012 Yeosu

  The 2012 World Expo was held beside the sea in the coastal city of Yeosu, South Korea. With its theme of ‹The Living Ocean and Coast›, it focused on preservation of the oceans and climate change. The Swiss pavilion centred on the sub-theme ‹The Source. It's in your hands›, exploring scientific research into ice and solutions for a healthier and sustainable future. A rock from the Monte Rosa massif and a 4,000-year-old ice core from a Swiss glacier served to illustrate that Switzerland, as well as being a source of water for Europe, is also a source of knowledge about water.

• Expo 2015 Milan

  Back in Europe in 2015, the World Expo addressing modern-day challenges such as food production, healthy eating, population growth, waste prevention and the efficient use of natural resources, under the motto «Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life». At the event held in Milan, Italy, Switzerland showcased the diversity and special characteristics of its food sector. Water, salt, coffee and apples were used to draw attention to consumer behaviour and the responsible use of food.

• Expo 2017 Astana

  Efficient use of natural resources remained a hot topic two years later. The 2017 World Expo in Astana, Kazakhstan, focused on the theme of «Future Energy», including the reduction of CO₂ emissions, efficient energy use and energy accessibility. In its «Flower Power» pavilion, Switzerland presented energy efficiency, renewable energy and global water management solutions, and also showcased the Swiss spirit of innovation as well as its expertise in public-private partnerships for research and development. Switzerland received a gold award from the Bureau International des Expositions expert committee for its exploration of the overall theme of «Future Energy».

• Expo 2020 Dubai

  The last time Switzerland attended a World Expo was in 2020 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Under the motto «Connecting Minds, Creating the Future», Expo 2020 aimed to bring the world together to catalyse an exchange of new perspectives and inspire action in order to deliver solutions to new challenges. Switzerland's innovation and attractiveness as a business location was showcased with the help of an artist-designed mountain panorama. Visitors were able to wander through the typically Swiss landscape while learning about strengths and opportunities in Swiss education, research, innovation and business. The country's pavilion received a silver medal for architecture and landscape, among other awards.

Sustainability, whether the efficient use of natural resources, sustainable urban development, the protection of water bodies or the promotion of sustainable food, has been a central theme of World Expos over the past 20 years. Those discussions will continue in Belgrade, focusing in particular on sustainable economic development.

Links

• Official opening of TX Services in Belgrade
• Press release, 02.02.2023: Swiss pavilion at Expo 2025 in Osaka embodies lightness and sustainability