The Forum is part of the UAE’s preparations to co-host the 2026 UN Water Conference, alongside Senegal, in Abu Dhabi from 8–10 December 2026. It reflects the UAE’s ambition to make the conference a platform for implementation — connecting policy with finance, innovation with deployment, and water challenges with investable solutions.
Opening the Forum, His Excellency Abdulla Balalaa, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Energy and Sustainability, said:“The UAE is committed to making the 2026 UN Water Conference a platform for implementation and investment, Closing the water-finance gap requires more than capital; it requires making water more investable — strengthening project pipelines, improving bankability, and creating the conditions to mobilize private and institutional investment. We want to see the private sector at the heart of this effort — bringing capital, expertise, innovation, and scale to the water economy, and working with governments and development partners to turn investable opportunities into investment. Our aim is to help close the investability gap and build partnerships that can unlock investment in water at scale, well beyond the 2026 UN Water Conference.”
Water underpins food and energy security, public health, industrial development, and economic resilience, as well as being a fundamental human right. As demand for water solutions grows, so too does the opportunity to mobilize investment across areas such as resilient infrastructure, desalination, water efficiency, reuse, digital technologies, and sustainable agriculture.
Discussions at the Forum focused on three areas where greater collaboration across the financial ecosystem can help unlock investment at scale:
• Strengthening project pipelines through improved preparation and technical support;
• Expanding the use of blended finance, co-financing, guarantees, and other risk-sharing mechanisms to improve project bankability; and,
• Creating stronger pathways for commercial and institutional capital, including greater visibility of opportunities and more attractive investment conditions.
Hosted at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs headquarters, the Forum brought together UAE stakeholders including H.E. Younis Haji AlKhoori, Undersecretary at the Ministry of Finance, H.E. Mohamed al Suwaidi, Director General of the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development, and leaders from the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, UAE Water Aid, Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, Emirates Investment Authority, First Abu Dhabi Bank, HSBC UAE, Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, Emirates NBD, Masdar, Mubadala, and other stakeholders.
International participants included the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, Green Climate Fund, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the OPEC Fund for International Development, the African Development Bank, Water.org, and additional partners across the global water-finance ecosystem.
The Forum is part of the UAE’s broader preparations for the ‘Investments for Water’ Interactive Dialogue at the 2026 UN Water Conference in Abu Dhabi. Agreed unanimously by UN Member States, this will be the first time a dialogue dedicated to investments for water is included in the conference. The Interactive Dialogue was unanimously agreed on by United Nations Member States, underscoring the importance of capital for unlocking solutions across water.
The UAE, in partnership with Senegal, will host the 2026 UN Water Conference in Abu Dhabi from 8–10 December 2026. Dedicated to accelerating the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 6, the UN Water Conference will bring together governments, businesses, financial institutions, development organizations, innovators, civil society, and youth to advance practical solutions, mobilize investment, and strengthen partnerships for water.
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