When the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres called for a Food Systems Summit two years ago, the ambition was to start a "decade of action" by recognising that several global challenges come back to food systems.
Then the Covid-19 pandemic happened. Food systems, which are the connections between how we produce food, distribute it and how we consume and dispose of it, fell under the spotlight.
The summit in New York last month marked a checkpoint for progress not only towards the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, but also towards an entire food systems transformation. The pandemic put out of reach access to food and healthy diets for an additional 141 million people, and pushed up to 124 million people into poverty.
The summit in September represented an 18-month effort to increase dialogue and take more action. But the hard work is only just beginning, and it is vital that all of us keep our eyes on the prize of food systems that deliver for people, planet and prosperity.
In the first instance, countries must continue to unite and prioritise food systems in all international summits and negotiations in the coming months and years.
Across the more than 900 so-called independent dialogues and 600 member state dialogues that the summit inspired, a common theme emerged: healthy food systems are inextricably linked to healthy environments. This was the message from indigenous peoples, climate-vulnerable countries and island states such as Fiji and Barbados.
Food systems must continue to play a defining role in next month's Cop26 climate talks, which is unlikely to achieve its aims without more sustainable, inclusive and resilient food systems.
Second, governments must refine and enact the pathways they announced at the summit to transform their food systems with clear targets and deadlines.
More than 160 countries set out their commitments to improve food and nutrition security, climate action and equality through food systems, but this must now be translated into policy and action.
For countries such as the US, for instance, which pledged $10 billion to tackle hunger and malnutrition at home and abroad, this means making use of the best available science to guide investment decisions and strategies for delivering on its commitments.
Finally, countries should collaborate and engage on areas of mutual interest with neighbours and allies to support progress in the interests of people everywhere.
The Food Systems Summit helped launch several coalitions, including those supporting indigenous peoples’ food systems, universal school meals, family farming and climate resilient development pathways. These must now draw upon and complement commitments made by member states, civil society, indigenous peoples, farmers, youth, and other constituencies to encourage change and hold one another to account.
Notwithstanding the various commitments, pathways and strategies, it is up to countries to deliver tangible progress on the pledges they have made. We know from the summit that people are ready to play their part.
The UN is committed to co-ordinate and support countries, and track progress with a review mechanism every two years to ensure the world delivers the dream of a healthier, more sustainable food system of the future.
In just two years and against the odds, we have moved to a paradigm of food systems thinking. The Food Systems Summit has given rise not only to a new approach to food but also led to the hope that a food revolution in the next 10 years may be possible. It would help deliver on the world's shared goals – from more nutritious diets to cleaner air and water and greater equality.
We have learnt that people around the world are ready for this and are willing to mobilise. To this end, we have together set off on the right track with great momentum.
A better future for this generation, the next and those to come is within reach if the world seizes the opportunity and transforms food systems for the better. The summit was just the appetiser.
Dr Agnes Kalibata is special envoy of the UN Secretary General for the UN Food Systems Summit
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Trump v Khan
2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US
2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks
2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit
2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”
2022: Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency
July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”
Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.
Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Generation Start-up: Awok company profile
Started: 2013
Founder: Ulugbek Yuldashev
Sector: e-commerce
Size: 600 plus
Stage: still in talks with VCs
Principal Investors: self-financed by founder
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
England's lowest Test innings
- 45 v Australia in Sydney, January 28, 1887
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- 51 v West Indies in Kingston, February 4, 2009
- 52 v Australia at The Oval, August 14, 1948
- 53 v Australia at Lord's, July 16, 1888
- 58 v New Zealand in Auckland, March 22, 2018
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
Biography
Favourite Meal: Chicken Caesar salad
Hobbies: Travelling, going to the gym
Inspiration: Father, who was a captain in the UAE army
Favourite read: Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki and Sharon Lechter
Favourite film: The Founder, about the establishment of McDonald's
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Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
MATCH INFO
Manchester United 6 (McTominay 2', 3'; Fernandes 20', 70' pen; Lindelof 37'; James 65')
Leeds United 2 (Cooper 41'; Dallas 73')
Man of the match: Scott McTominay (Manchester United)
Gulf Under 19s final
Dubai College A 50-12 Dubai College B
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Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
