The 173rd General Assembly of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), the Intergovernmental Organisation responsible for overseeing all international exhibitions lasting over three weeks and of non-commercial nature, was held on 28th November 2023 at Paris, France.

The assembly saw the election of Her Excellency Ms. Karen-Mae Hill, High Commissioner for Antigua and Barbuda, as the President of the Administration and Budget Committee.

The committee comprises delegates from nine member states, including Andorra, Angola, Bangladesh, Cyprus, France, Gabon, Switzerland, and Turkmenistan, and is responsible for preparing the annual budget of the BIE and ensuring compliance with it. The President of each commission is elected for a term of two years from among the delegates of the member states, and he or she can be re-elected for a second term of two years without interruption.

The Presidents of the committees also serve as the Vice-Presidents of the General Assembly of the BIE. In addition, the assembly witnessed the participation of delegates from the 179 member states of the BIE. It included progress reports on upcoming Expos and presentations from candidates for World Expo 2030.

Finally, the assembly culminated in the election of Saudi Arabia as the host of World Expo 2030. The event is one of the four types of Expos organised under the BIE’s auspices, which include Specialised Expos, Horticultural Expos, and the Triennale di Milano.

Notably, High Commissioner Hill also completed one term on the Information and Communication Committee, which is one of the other three committees besides the Administration and Budget Committee.