The UAE and Senegal officially kick-off the 2026 UN Water Conference multilateral process

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Senegal, co-hosts of the 2026 UN Water Conference, convened the international community for the Organizational Session of the Conference on 3 March 2025 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. 

As mandated by the Conference modalities resolution adopted in September 2024, this Organizational Session served as an opportunity for Member States and stakeholders to share their insights and recommendations for the themes of the six interactive dialogues that will drive the 2026 Conference. These dialogues will focus on addressing global water challenges and advancing progress to accelerate the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6): Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.

The Organizational Session opened with high-level speeches by H.E. Abdulla Ahmed Balalaa, UAE Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Energy and Sustainability and H.E. Cheikh Tidiane Dieye, Senegal Minister of Hydraulics and Sanitation. The leaders emphasized the joint commitment by the UAE and Senegal in convening a collaborative and inclusive preparatory process to drive an impact-oriented Conference in 2026 that brings the world together to enable collective progress on water, for all.

H.E. Abdulla Ahmed Balalaa emphasized, “ For the UAE, water shapes our history, our present, and our future, fostering deep resilience, resourcefulness, and ingenuity. We are committed to accelerating innovative and inclusive global water action, through expanded knowledge sharing and international cooperation, harnessing the power of increased investment, and scaling technological solutions for the benefit of all. 

H.E. Cheikh Tidiane Dieye highlighted, “The 2026 UN Water Conference embodies a pivotal moment for humanity, a meeting with our collective future, and a historic opportunity to turn our commitments into concrete actions for water and sanitation. The time is no longer for reflection or recommendations, but for action. We must therefore ensure that this process is inclusive and participatory so that every voice and every perspective are taken into account.”
     
The UAE is excited to be co-hosting the 2026 UN Water Conference, in partnership with Senegal, to convene the world to accelerate the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 6 on ensuring the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. 
     
No nation is immune to the way that water stress can exacerbate food security, public health, and economic and political stability. Ultimately, water is the key enabler to achieving the entire 2030 Sustainable Development Goals Agenda, and SDG6 is the lynchpin to unlocking all 17 goals.”

The UAE and Senegal invited and called on all stakeholders across the international community - including governments, international organizations, financing and investment actors, NGOs, civil society, academics, local communities, youth and Indigenous Peoples – to raise their collective ambition to accelerate global water action, together. 

Despite progress, according to the latest statistics, at present, 2.2 billion people still lack clean drinking water, 3.5 billion people still lack safely managed sanitation services, and 4 billion people still experience severe water scarcity for at least one month per year.

The session was joined by Mr. Li Junhua, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), and Mr. Alvaro Lario, UN Water Chair, along with 72 participants, including 26 stakeholders from UN entities, NGOs, civil society, and the private sector.

Following the Organizational Session, the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), as the Conference Secretariat, will prepare a background note on proposed themes, in consultation with Member States and with the support of UN-Water and other relevant UN entities. These themes will be finalized during a subsequent one-day meeting convened by the President of the General Assembly, on July 9th, 2025. Following the adoption of the themes and the selection of the co-chairs of the interactive dialogues, a high-level preparatory meeting for the 2026 UN Water Conference will take place in Dakar in advance of the December Conference.   
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For a recording of the Organizational Session (The 10:00 – 13:00 EST Session can be accessed here & the 15:00 – 18:00 EST session can be accessed here.)
To learn more about the 2026 UN Water Conference: 2026 UN Water Conference | Department of Economic and Social Affairs