Seen from above, the city is an intricate blueprint of streets, passageways and buildings of different sizes and proportions. The newly-unveiled United Nations Pavilion logo captures this aerial view of the city while nestling it firmly against the United Nations and Shanghai Expo acronyms.

The Pavilion logo highlights the theme of the Expo, Better City, Better Life, and brings to life the essence of the United Nations' work in cities: to tackle the larger picture, without ever losing sight of local idiosyncrasies. The logo is a visual reminder that cities are sources of innovation and creativity, that urban challenges can be tackled fairly and adequately, and that sustainability is within reach of us all.

The one-year countdown to the Expo 2010 started on 1 May, 2009 at a special ceremony in Tiananmen Square, Beijing. After the traditional ribbon cutting, major personalities addressed the audience and switched on a steel countdown clock that will tick off the seconds, hours and days to the Expo. Upon the start of the Expo, this steel clock will display the number of visitors to the Expo Park.

 Statement of the United Nations Commissioner-General on the start of the Expo countdown