Still in the grip of Covid-19 and the climate crisis, why should the world pay attention to Expo 2020 Dubai?

MEED Business Review answers this question, and much more in its September issue. 

Our in-depth coverage on the expo, which finally opens its doors on 1 October 2021 after eight years in the making, includes expo editor Mehak Srivastava's latest analysis on Dubai's platform for global change.   

Not only will the event amplify the UAE’s push for economic diversification, opening avenues for bilateral trade, but it will also offer opportunities to collaborate in areas where the UAE wants to build its strengths, such as food security and renewable energy, Srivastava writes in this month's Agenda story.

The expo is meanwhile the first global event open to the public since the start of the pandemic, and a chance for Dubai and the UAE to herald the post-pandemic restart.

As all eyes turn towards Dubai at the beginning of October, critical global issues will be in the spotlight – find out what the expo's six-month Programme for People and Planet has in store here. 

Elsewhere in the magazine, the September 2021 edition of MEED Business Review features a special industry report on downstream oil and gas, and finds refiners pivoting into the petrochemicals space.

This month's 17-page Market Focus offers an exclusive look at Kuwait, where the country's financing needs are growing urgent.

In current affairs, MEED considers how the sudden regime change in Afghanistan will force rapid geopolitical realignment among key political actors in the GCC.  

Must-read sections in the September 2021 edition of MEED Business Review include:

> AGENDA: Why Expo 2020 Dubai matters

> OPINION: Inflation jeopardises the green revolution / Qatar’s election stirs democratic debate

> CURRENT AFFAIRS: Gulf confronts new reality as Kabul falls to Taliban

> INTERVIEW: Basrah Gas Company pursues Iraq expansion

> INDUSTRY REPORT: Downstream oil and gas

> MARKET FOCUS: Kuwait government grapples with debt deadlock

> RECOVERY INDEX: Regional recovery shows increasing divergence

> LEADERSHIP: Navigating crisis-induced price spikes

> LEGAL: Tackling money laundering in the Gulf

> GULF PROJECTS INDEX: Projects market supported by oil and gas

> JULY 2021 CONTRACTS: Contract awards halve in value in July

> BUSINESS OUTLOOK: Finance, oil and gas, construction, power and water contracts

We hope you enjoy the September 2021 edition of MEED Business Review.