Global Water Security Drives UAE’s Preparations For The 2026 UN Water Conference In Abu Dhabi

The United Nations Water Conference 2026 moved a step closer as governments and experts met in Dakar on 26–27 January, advancing technical and political preparation for the event that the United Arab Emirates will host in Abu Dhabi at the end of this year in partnership with the Republic of Senegal.

Participants at the Dakar meeting agreed that water is central to security, economic stability and sustainable development, and argued that the 2026 conference should reshape the global framework for managing water resources, ensuring that water and sanitation receive higher priority within international cooperation and finance systems.

Discussions in Dakar repeatedly returned to Sustainable Development Goal 6, which covers water and sanitation, with delegates reviewing current progress, pinpointing remaining gaps, and exploring faster, practical measures to expand safe water access and improve sanitation services at regional and global scales, particularly as pressure on freshwater supplies continues to grow.

Abdulla Balalaa, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Energy and Sustainability Affairs, headed the UAE delegation, which included senior officials from several national entities, signalling the UAE’s intention to support innovative approaches, attract targeted investment and deepen international partnerships that can improve long-term water sustainability outcomes.

The meeting highlighted six interactive dialogues that the UN General Assembly in New York unanimously endorsed in July 2025, covering Water for people, Water for prosperity, Water for planet Earth, Water for cooperation, Water in multilateral processes, and Investment for water, which will structure discussions and commitments at the UN Water Conference 2026.

Speakers stressed that roughly 70 percent of global freshwater use comes from agriculture, linking water security directly to food security and pointing to the need for more efficient irrigation, climate-resilient crops and sustainable agricultural systems that can reduce demand while maintaining reliable food supplies, including for arid regions such as the Middle East.

According to Balalaa, the main goal of the preparatory process is to deliver "tangible impact on the ground," with the UAE concentrating since its selection as host on speeding up implementation of SDG 6, promoting fair and sustainable access to water, and supporting improved sanitation infrastructure in countries facing growing water stress.

Balalaa also underlined that faster progress on SDG 6 depends on effective international partnerships, collective action, broad-based cooperation and well-directed investment, and noted that Dakar’s outcomes are intended to generate concrete partnerships and practical projects by the end of the year, strengthening readiness for the UN Water Conference 2026 and supporting a more sustainable global water future.

With inputs from WAM