The United Nations has officially informed the Organizing Committee for Expo 2012 Yeosu Korea of its intended participation at the Expo.

With the U.N.’s participation confirmed, the Expo has attained its target for participation by international organizations one year and three months before its opening.

The U.N. reportedly selected a coordinating agency to help with its participation with the subsidiary agencies under its umbrella. The agencies include ones in the areas of the ocean, fisheries, and the environment. The U.N. also appointed a supervisor to oversee the exhibition space.

The Organizing Committee expects the move will prompt priority countries that have not pledged their attendance to join in.

The U.N. will be allocated an exhibition space within the International Organizations Pavilion, which will be constructed in the coming months.

The U.N. is expected to help significantly elevate the profile of the Expo along with other international organizations ― including the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia, and the Convention on Biological Diversity ― which confirmed their participation at an earlier date.

Meanwhile, the number of participating countries increased to 85.

Expo 2012 Yeosu Korea, under the theme “The Living Ocean and Coast,” will take place in the Yeosu New Port area for three months from May 12.

The Expo aims to attract 100 participating countries and five international organizations, as well as 8 million visitors, including 550,000 from overseas.

(yoav@heraldcorp.com)