Saudi Arabia and BIE Sign See Agreement for Expo 2030 Riyadh, Advancing Framework for International Participation

PARIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug 25, 2026--

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) have signed the See Agreement for Expo 2030 Riyadh, formally establishing the legal and administrative framework that will support Official Participants throughout their journey to the World Expo. The signing took place on the sidelines of the visit to France by His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister.

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The ceremony was attended by H.H. Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Dimitri S. Kerkentzes, Secretary General of the BIE, and Talal Al-Marri, CEO of Expo 2030 Riyadh.

The See Agreement sets out the legal and administrative conditions under which countries and international organizations will participate in Expo 2030 Riyadh. With the Agreement now in place, participants have the formal framework they need as they advance through the design, construction and operational stages of their Expo journey.

The signing follows the approval of the See Agreement by the General Assembly of the BIE in Paris in June 2026 and reinforces Expo 2030 Riyadh’s commitment to a transparent and collaborative approach to international participation. By providing a clear and well-defined framework, it gives countries and international organizations greater confidence in the support and coordination they can expect as their preparations advance.

Commenting on the milestone, Dimitri S. Kerkentzes, Secretary General of the BIE, said: “The signing of the See Agreement marks an important milestone in preparations for Expo 2030 Riyadh. It further strengthens the institutional framework between the BIE and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and establishes the conditions and privileges that will support Official Participants as they prepare for the next World Expo. International participants are at the heart of every World Expo, and this Agreement reflects our shared commitment to providing them with the framework and support required for successful participation in Riyadh.”

Talal Al-Marri, CEO of Expo 2030 Riyadh, said: “Expo 2030 Riyadh represents the Kingdom’s ambition to bring the world together around a shared belief in dialogue, cooperation and progress. The signing of the See Agreement marks an important step in fulfilling our commitment to welcome countries and international organisations from around the world, providing a clear framework to support their journey towards 2030 and enable them to bring their ambitions to life. As preparations advance, we are committed to ensuring that participants have the guidance, systems and support they need to contribute meaningfully to this global gathering. We are proud to be building a World Expo that will strengthen connections between nations, showcase the progress and capabilities of Saudi Arabia, and create a lasting impact for Riyadh, the Kingdom and the world.”

The framework covers areas that directly support Official Participants and their teams, including travel and visa arrangements, tax and customs measures, mobility support, and other technical and administrative requirements. Together, these provisions are designed to simplify key administrative processes and support an efficient participation experience in the lead-up to and during Expo 2030 Riyadh.

The signing further strengthens the foundations for international participation and supports the Kingdom’s preparations to welcome the world in 2030. Expo 2030 Riyadh will take place from 1 October 2030 to 31 March 2031 under the theme “Foresight for Tomorrow.” The six-month event is expected to bring together more than 200 official participants and welcome 42 million visits. Through national pavilions, cultural programming, innovation and immersive experiences, Expo 2030 Riyadh will provide a global platform for countries and organisations to exchange ideas, build partnerships and explore solutions to shared challenges. Following the event, the site is planned to evolve into a permanent global village, creating a lasting legacy for Riyadh, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the world.

About Expo 2030 Riyadh

Running from 1 October 2030 to 31 March 2031, Expo 2030 Riyadh will be among the most ambitious World Expos ever conceived with a 6 million square meter site that will bring together more than 200 official participants and welcome 42 million visits across 5 distinct districts.

Held under the theme “Foresight for Tomorrow,” and hosted in Riyadh - a city of action and ambition - Expo 2030 Riyadh will provide a platform for participants to exchange ideas, shape solutions, and build partnerships that drive real impact, address global challenges, and unlock new opportunities. The World Expo will feature immersive cultural zones, daily activations, and AI-powered interactions, blending traditional Saudi hospitality with cutting-edge technology. Following the six-month event, the site will evolve into a global village, leaving a lasting legacy for Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and the world.

For more information, please visit: https://www.expo2030riyadh.sa/en/

About World Expos

World Expos are held under the auspices of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), the intergovernmental organisation responsible for overseeing and regulating international exhibitions (‘Expos’) and for fostering their core values of Education, Innovation and Cooperation. Today, four types of Expos are organised under the BIE’s auspices: World Expos, Specialised Expos, Horticultural Expos and the Triennale di Milano.

For more information, please visit: https://bie-paris.org/site/en/

H.H. Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and Dimitri S. Kerkentzes, Secretary General of the BIE, at the ceremony.

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested nearly 50,000 people during July, the highest single monthly arrest total during the second Trump administration, according to new figures.

The spike in immigration arrests shows that the administration has continued to advance its mass deportations agenda despite a shift in approach earlier this year from high-profile operations in large American cities that sparked a public outcry to arrests that have garnered less attention but have nonetheless been disruptive.

The July arrest tally of 49,571 marks a 15% jump from 43,021 arrests a month earlier and a 70% increase from 29,241 in February, in the aftermath of the Trump administration’s enforcement surge in Minnesota, according to government data that was provided by ICE to the University of California, Berkeley’s Deportation Data Project and analyzed by The Associated Press.

As part of the surging arrest numbers over recent weeks, ICE officers have made arrests at traffic stops. They've increasingly relied on state and local law enforcement partners who are assuming immigration enforcement duties. And they have started to arrest people from Haiti who've seen their protections from deportation stripped away.

The new arrest numbers show the administration “didn’t stop the enforcement,” said Mark Krikorian of the Center for Immigration Studies, which advocates for more immigration restrictions.

“They changed the tactics and are, if anything, being more effective.”

Immigration arrests the month before Trump entered office hovered a little over 8,000 a figure largely made up of immigrants transferred from city or state jails and prisons and turned over to ICE to remove from the country. During Trump’s first year in office the numbers started climbing as the administration loosened restrictions on where and who ICE could arrest while it also infused the agency with billions of dollars.

By December, the number of arrests jumped to more than 40,177, according to the data, which was obtained through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit.

In the aftermath of two fatal shootings in Minnesota in January that sparked protests and an uproar from Democratic lawmakers, arrests began to fall in February. After remaining stagnant for months, the numbers surged in June.

Texas and Florida accounted for nearly 20,000 of the July arrests, in a sign of how important those states have become to the Trump administration’s mass deportation agenda. Both states have leaned heavily into cooperation agreements with ICE called 287g agreements that allow local and state law enforcement to essentially operate as arms of federal immigration enforcement.

In his confirmation hearing earlier this year, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin pledged to keep ICE out of the headlines, suggesting that the administration’s immigration crackdown might take a softer approach. But his tenure has been marred by a number of fatal shootings of immigrants in encounters with ICE officers. And the figures show Mullin hasn’t shifted the agency from President Donald Trump’s vision for mass deportations.

Under Mullin's predecessor, Kristi Noem, immigration enforcement was often characterized by high-profile operations that targeted specific Democratic cities including Chicago, Los Angeles and Minneapolis. Operations often led by former Border Patrol agent Greg Bovino were blasted out on social media videos showing officers bursting out of moving vans to chase people or rappelling from helicopters onto apartment rooftops.

But Krikorian said those tactics were “provoking a lot of ordinary people, turning them off even if they liked the idea of the immigration law being enforced."

The spike in arrests comes as the agency, infused with billions of dollars last summer by Congress, has also hired 12,000 new deportation officers and investigative agents.

Patricia Quiñonez, a journalist at Utahlozanos, which covers the Venezuelan immigrant community in Utah, said immigration arrests during traffic stops have increased sharply in recent months.

“They stop you for whatever reason — for example, you don’t have a drivers’ license, your vehicle tags are expired, your windows are more tinted than what is allowed. From there, they take advantage of the situation and ask about immigration.”

People with valid work permits and pending asylum claims are among those arrested, said Quiñonez, who believes they are being targeted by race.

Associated Press writers Tim Sullivan in Minneapolis and Elliot Spagat in San Diego contributed.

FILE - A federal agent wears an Immigration and Customs Enforcement badge in New York, June 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, File)

FILE - A federal agent wears an Immigration and Customs Enforcement badge in New York, June 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, File)