UAE Mobilizes Food Sector to Join Global Water Conversation Ahead of 2026 UN Water Conference

The United Arab Emirates is working to mobilize the food systems community to join the global water conversation, to highlight the critical connection between water and the future of food.

During Global Food Week UAE 2026, His Excellency Abdulla Balalaa, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Energy and Sustainability, participated in the PALT Conference, hosted by the Abu Dhabi Investment Office, joining leaders from government, industry, finance, and innovation to discuss how water can shape the future of food production and innovation. Throughout the event, H.E. Balalaa emphasized that food begins with water.

More than 95 percent of food produced on land depends on freshwater, with agriculture accounting for almost 70 percent of global freshwater withdrawals. As the world's population is expected to reach 9.7 billion by 2050 and demand for food continues to rise, the challenge is not simply to produce more, but to produce more while using water and other resources more efficiently.

At the conference, H.E. Balalaa discussed the opportunities emerging at the intersection of food, technology, and investment, including alternative proteins, fermentation, cultivated foods, algae, and next-generation food technologies. He noted that these innovations have the potential to diversify how food is produced and to create more resilient and resource-efficient food systems.

Reflecting on how collaboration can help scale solutions across borders and sectors, His Excellency said: "There is a massive opportunity connecting food innovation and water innovation. If we need to produce 50 percent more food, we cannot simply assume that we will have 50 percent more water to support this. We have to get more value from every drop of water. That means more efficient irrigation, water-smart agriculture, drought-resilient crops, water reuse, and better monitoring and data. It means food technologies that can reduce the resource intensity of what we eat. And it means thinking differently about the protein economy. Diversification is at the heart of resilience.”

The UAE's approach to addressing the interdependence between food and water reflects a core principle for the upcoming 2026 UN Water Conference - that water is an economic enabler. Water underpins agriculture and food production, while also supporting energy, manufacturing, industry, digital infrastructure, cities, and economic growth. Strengthening water resilience therefore means strengthening the foundations upon which economies and food systems depend.

Engagements at Global Food Week were part of ongoing preparations for the 2026 UN Water Conference, to be held in Abu Dhabi this December. The UAE is inviting food producers, agribusinesses, investors, technology companies, researchers, innovators, and other stakeholders across the food value chain to bring their expertise and solutions into the global water dialogue.

The conference will provide a platform for the food and agriculture community to engage directly with the wider water community, exploring how investment, innovation, technology, and international cooperation can strengthen resilience across value chains and enable the world to produce more food with less water.

H.E. Balalaa encouraged food systems stakeholders to bring forward solutions that are ready to scale, investment opportunities that can deliver long-term impact, and partnerships that can connect food innovation with water innovation.

The UAE invites all to join the 2026 UN Water Conference in Abu Dhabi to contribute to the global effort to translate ambition into action. Registration for The Oasis is available through the official 2026 UN Water Conference website, with further details available across X, LinkedIn, and Meta platforms at @UNWaterConfUAE.

Registration for The Oasis is open and free of charge.