On Road to 2026 UN Water Conference: UAE brings water issue centre stage

Water was a top priority at the 2026 Spring Meetings of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund, held in Washington, DC.

The spotlight on water was driven by the launch of World Bank Group’s new global initiative, Water Forward, as well by the UAE delegation on water, led by Abdulla Balalaa, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Energy and Sustainability, who led a series of high-level meetings throughout the week to mobilise engagement with the 2026 UN Water Conference and advocate for inclusive and innovative collaborations and solutions to support the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG6), to ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.

Balalaa held a series of high-level bilateral meetings with senior US and international government officials, multilateral development banks, institutional investment and business leaders, entrepreneurs, and think tank experts. Discussions focused on the geopolitical situation in the region, reinforcing water on the global agenda and supporting the 2026 UN Water Conference process, protecting and preserving water security, and catalysing the private sector and the investment community to collaborate on inclusive and innovative solutions on water.

He met with Jacob Helberg, US Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs, along with other officials from the Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency, underscoring the importance of the long-standing and robust cooperation between the UAE and the US. Balalaa also met with Ajay Banga, President of the World Bank Group (WBG), and Dr Sidi Ould Tah, President of the African Development Bank.

Balalaa led the UAE’s engagements for the launch of Water Forward, a new global initiative launched by the World Bank aimed at improving secure water access for a billion people within the next four years. The new World Bank pillar will prioritise water as a strategic economic resource and focus on mobilising private capital, philanthropy and public funding.

He was also a guest at a key meeting by the Atlantic Council’s Climate Resilience Centre on catalysing investment and financial communities on water, speaking alongside representatives from the World Bank, Goldman Sachs, the Climate Policy Initiative, and private sector and advocacy leaders.

Noting that the 2026 UN Water Conference will be a geopolitical convergence on water, Balalaa stressed that the UAE, in partnership with the conference’s co-host Senegal, is committed to working with all partners to build momentum on water over the next several months and called on the private sector and all stakeholders to adopt innovative and inclusive political, technical, and quantifiable solutions that will address the scale and urgency of global water challenges.

Balalaa was also hosted at the US Chamber of Commerce, discussing the 2026 UN Water Conference and opportunities to accelerate the adoption of new technologies and investments in water infrastructure. The discussion included the Environmental Protection Agency, the US Department of Commerce, leaders from multilateral institutions, and representatives from the private sector.

Over the past two years, the UAE has been actively engaged in consultations around the world to encourage inclusive engagement in the 2026 UN Water Conference process to enable the implementation of SDG6 and improve lives, restore ecosystems, and accelerate access and sustainable management of clean water and sanitation for all.

The extensive high-level meetings held in Washington, DC, will be followed by a number of upcoming consultations in advance of the Conference in Abu Dhabi at the end of the year.

About the 2026 UN Water Conference, the UAE and Senegal will co-host the 2026 UN Water Conference, which aims to accelerate the implementation of SDG 6: Ensuring available and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.

The conference will be a culmination of extensive global dialogue and consultations, including the High-Level Preparatory Meeting held in Dakar in January 2026, and ongoing engagement mobilising industry and private sector leaders, financial and investment communities, civil society, Indigenous Peoples, and youth voices.

The process also brings together 12 Co-Chairs leading six Interactive Dialogues to create ambitious, inclusive and innovative solutions.

As co-hosts of the 2026 UN Water Conference, the UAE and Senegal call on all stakeholders to engage with insights, openness, and commitment to deliver political, technical, and transformative solutions to address the scale and urgency of global water and sanitation challenges. The UAE and Senegal aim to convene a conference defined by action: improving lives, restoring ecosystems, and accelerating access to clean water and sanitation systems for all.

WAM