UAE MOFA Signs MoU With World Economic Forum To Strengthen Collaboration For 2026 UN Water Conference

The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs has signed a new Memorandum of Understanding with the World Economic Forum to support preparation and delivery of the 2026 UN Water Conference, which will take place in the UAE at the end of 2026, with a core focus on Sustainable Development Goal 6 and global water action.

The agreement sets out structured cooperation on the conference process, with both sides aiming to turn existing pledges on water into practical outcomes and investments across sectors, using public and private expertise to accelerate implementation and strengthen long-term resilience in water systems at global scale.

The MoU was signed at the Davos Congress Centre by Abdulla Balalaa, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Energy and Sustainability, in the presence of H.H. Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Mohammad bin Abdullah Al Gergawi, Børge Brende, and Larry Fink, reflecting the shared interest of UAE and World Economic Forum leadership in water security.

The World Economic Forum acts as a non-profit platform connecting political, business, academic and civil society leaders, and both the UAE and the forum note that water is fundamental to productivity in major industries, with around 60 percent of global GDP depending on reliable water access of adequate quality and quantity to support economic activity.

Despite this dependence, around 90 percent of global investment in water infrastructure still comes from governments, leaving private contributions as a relatively small share of the funding required, and the new cooperation aims to adjust this balance by reinforcing engagement with businesses throughout the 2026 UN Water Conference preparatory timeline.

The partnership intends to draw on private sector skills and entrepreneurship to advance water technologies, increase capital flows into water-related projects in different fields, and scale successful models, while also strengthening dialogue between ministries, financial institutions, companies and other stakeholders ahead of the 2026 UN Water Conference.

The 2026 UN Water Conference is planned as a global implementation-focused gathering, oriented towards turning ambition into measurable impact by promoting sustainable access to water for all, and the collaboration will help build a shared agenda among business, finance, philanthropy, civil society, and governments linked to the forum’s multi-sector networks.

Abdulla Balalaa explained the UAE view of the agreement by saying, "This partnership is about moving faster from commitment to delivery. By partnering with the World Economic Forum, we are unlocking the power of public-private collaboration to shape outcomes, mobilise investments, and drive real progress through the Conference and beyond," while Sebastian Buckup, Managing Director at the forum, outlined the wider systems angle.

Sebastian Buckup stated that "Water underpins economic resilience, climate stability, and human well-being. Through this partnership with the UAE, the World Economic Forum will strengthen the much-needed systems approach to water — mobilising cross-sector leadership, helping to accelerate investment, and creating pathways to scale solutions. Together, we aim to ensure the 2026 UN Water Conference delivers measurable impact where it matters most."

To start implementing the MoU, the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the World Economic Forum will jointly host a high-level session titled "Unlocking Water Finance and Investment: Strengthening Public-Private Collaboration towards the 2026 UN Water Conference", designed to examine practical mechanisms for scaling water finance and technology solutions through public-private partnerships.

The outcomes of this and other planned discussions for 2026 are expected to contribute directly to the High-Level Preparatory Meeting in Dakar, Senegal on 26-27 January 2026, and will help shape the UAE’s roadmap for convening the 2026 UN Water Conference at the end of that year as an early milestone in a longer process.

The agreement with the World Economic Forum positions the UAE to integrate public and private actors more closely into preparations for the 2026 UN Water Conference, link financial and technological solutions with global policy discussions, and support concrete steps towards sustainable water access for communities and economies that depend on reliable water systems.

With inputs from WAM