The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai has attracted more than 150 Saudi volunteers, at a time when the country is promoting volunteerism as an important part of its national transformation program Vision 2030.
Young Saudi volunteers in particular, who comprise around 20 percent of the total number of the customer engagement workforce at the Pavilion, are part of what the government hopes will be a growing trend in the Kingdom.” The aim is to produce 1 million active volunteers by the end of the decade.
The volunteers were chosen from a competitive pool of more than 600 applicants. In preparation, the volunteers – who are Saudis studying or working in the UAE – undertook training courses on leadership, problem solving, communications and hospitality, to welcome and assist visitors to the Saudi Pavilion. They secured their placements through the Emirates Foundation, which facilitates public-private funded initiatives for the empowerment of youth.
Hussain Hanbazazah, the commissioner general of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Pavilion, said: “Our volunteers are driven by a sense of patriotism, love and service for our country. I am filled with pride when I see these volunteers guiding Expo visitors from across the world through our Pavilion. They are the Kingdom’s ambassadors to the world and represent a key pillar that we aim to highlight through our participation at Expo 2020 Dubai: Our people. They talk to our Pavilion visitors about Saudi Arabia and the opportunities it offers, its majestic beauty, stunning natural wonders, rich heritage and the Kingdom’s wonderful UNESCO World Heritage Sites and other hidden archaeological and cultural gems. I hope this will entice them to visit the Kingdom soon. They also share their dreams and aspirations as young Saudis amid the wave of transformation underway in the Kingdom under Vision 2030.”
In March 2020, the government launched the Voluntary Work Platform – which aims to provide a safe environment that regulates the relationship between volunteers and the organizations they support within the Kingdom.
In addition, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development also launched a national award for volunteer work, to further encourage the act of “giving back.” Volunteers across a variety of sectors are eligible, including government, education, and community work, from all of Saudi Arabia’s 13 regions.
The total number of volunteers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has doubled annually for the past five years, reaching 409,000 in 2020.
