UAE Continues High-Level Engagements on the Road to the 2026 UN Water Conference

This month, the United Arab Emirates continued to deepen its global engagements on the road to the 2026 United Nations Water Conference, which it is honored to co-host with the Republic of Senegal. In line with its commitment to advancing multilateral dialogue and sustainable water solutions, the UAE participated in two high-level international forums: the 41st UN-Water Meeting in Rome, held from 2 to 3 April, and the 12th Roundtable on Financing Water, held at the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Headquarters in Jeddah from 16 to 17 April.

The Roundtable, co-convened by the OECD and the IsDB, brought together over 100 stakeholders from governments, development banks, financial institutions, civil society, academia, and UN agencies. Discussions explored how Islamic finance principles could be leveraged to drive more resilient and sustainable water investments and were designed to inform the financing agendas of both the 2026 UN Water Conference and the 11th World Water Forum. According to World Bank estimates, achieving Sustainable Development Goal 6 will require an investment of approximately USD 6.7 trillion by 2030, underscoring the urgency of unlocking new and innovative sources of capital. The high-level nature of the event was further underscored by the participation of senior officials, including H.E. Cheikh Tidiane Dieỳe, Minister of Hydraulics and Sanitation of Senegal, and H.E. Abdul Aziz Al-Shaibani, Deputy Minister for Water at the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture of Saudi Arabia—reflecting the strong regional and global commitment to advancing sustainable water finance.

Representing the UAE, H.E. Abdulla Ahmed Balalaa, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Energy and Sustainability, addressed the closing session, highlighting: “The 2026 United Nations Water Conference will be a pivotal moment to accelerate progress, bridge commitments with implementation, and build momentum behind a global movement for water. While the themes of the dialogues are still being refined, one priority is already clear: finance and investment will be at the heart of this effort.”

H.E. Balalaa emphasized the need to unlock new sources of capital - particularly from the private sector - and to create enabling environments that align finance, policy, innovation, and technology to ensure meaningful impact. He also underscored the UAE’s commitment to advancing water innovation through the Mohamed bin Zayed Water Initiative, including the XPrize Water Scarcity Competition and the recently launched Al Miyah Challenge for Agriculture.

The UAE’s participation in the 41st UN-Water Meeting in Rome marked its first capital-level engagement in this forum. The meeting provided an opportunity to strengthen coordination with UN-Water members and partners, including Senegal and the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), which serves as the Secretariat for the 2026 Conference. The co-hosts and UN DESA shared reflections on the Organizational Session held in March at UN Headquarters in New York, and stakeholders were encouraged to contribute to the online consultation on the themes of the six interactive dialogues.

The outcomes of that consultation will inform a Background Note prepared by UN DESA, to be presented at the high-level preparatory meeting convened by the President of the General Assembly on 9 July in New York.

Through these engagements, the UAE reaffirms its commitment to fostering inclusive dialogue, unlocking innovation, and driving global action to ensure the success of the 2026 UN Water Conference and deliver tangible progress toward sustainable development.