The UAE School Meals Initiative will be rolled out in two phases, with the first phase commencing in 2023 and continuing into 2024. The second and final phase will take place in 2024-2025. This ambitious endeavor underscores UAE's dedication to enhancing the well-being and educational opportunities of its students. Minister Almheiri emphasized the crucial link between good nutrition and effective learning, stating that, "If students aren't getting good nutrition, they cannot absorb education." This initiative aims to ensure that students have access to nourishing meals, ultimately promoting their academic success and overall development.

The UAE's commitment to providing free school meals to all public-school students aligns with the goals of the Global School Meals Coalition, which seeks to ensure that every child receives a healthy meal at school by 2030. The First Global Summit of the Global School Meals Coalition, hosted by the President of France, Mr Emmanuel Macron, brought together leaders, ministers, UN agencies, organizations, and representatives from around the world. The summit's theme, "Investing in future generations: human capital, sustainable food systems, and climate change action through school meals," highlighted the interconnectedness of education, nutrition, and climate action.

The summit aimed to achieve several crucial objectives, including expanding and investing in school meal programmes worldwide, unveiling regional visions, and launching initiatives related to food systems, climate action, and education. It also underscored the importance of placing school meals on the global agenda as a means to address pressing challenges such as peace, social cohesion, and stability.

This initiative of U.A.E. also reflects the country’s contribution to SDG 4 as it directly impacts the quality of education by promoting the well-being of students and enabling them to fully engage in their learning experiences.