UAE Drives Public-Private Collaboration to Advance Global Water Action in Davos

The United Arab Emirates reaffirmed its global leadership in water diplomacy during the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meetings 2026, as H.E. Abdulla Balalaa, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Energy and Sustainability, led a series of high-level engagements focused on mobilizing investments, accelerating public–private collaboration, and shaping multilateral action in the lead-up to the 2026 United Nations Water Conference, co-hosted by the UAE and Senegal, which will convene in the UAE toward the end of 2026.

On 20 January, H.E. Balalaa signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the WEF that formalizes the partnership to strengthen public-private collaboration on water ahead of the 2026 UN Water Conference.

Following the signing of the MoU, the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the WEF co-convened a high-level session at the UAE Pavilion, entitled “Unlocking Water Finance and Investments: Strengthening Public–Private Collaboration toward the 2026 UNWC.” The session convened leaders from government, multilateral development banks, philanthropies, the private sector, and non-governmental organizations to discuss ways of delivering on the MoU and pathways for scaling water financing and investments ahead of the Conference.

In his opening remarks, H.E. Balalaa emphasized:
“Let’s move water from the margins of our discussions to the center of our decisions. To meet our collective global water-related goals, we must go beyond projects and build platforms, de-risking investments and innovation and empowering countries to deliver at pace and scale. The 2026 UN Water Conference will serve as a global moment for public and private actors to deliver new solutions, mobilize capital, and strengthen collaboration across the water ecosystem. This is our opportunity to work together – across sectors and institutions – to turn ambition into impact.”

In addition, to continue discussions around closing the water financing gap, the UAE co-convened with Senegal and WaterAid and a roundtable entitled, “Financing Resilience: A New Reality for Water,” focused on discussing how the emerging sustainable finance landscape can be best leveraged to advance sustainable and resilient water solutions.

The Davos activities build on a series of dedicated discussions that the UAE has been convening on the Conference’s interactive dialogue “Investments for Water.” Insights and takeaways will contribute directly to the High-Level Preparatory Meeting in Dakar, Senegal (26–27 January 2026), and inform the UAE’s roadmap to the 2026 UN Water Conference.