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The UAE is working to push water security to the top of the global climate agenda before co-hosting next year's UN Water Conference, a senior Emirati official has said.
Speaking to The National on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Energy and Sustainability Abdulla Balalaa said his country aims to “place water where it belongs".
“Water is under-prioritised, water is underfunded and it’s not given the right momentum,” Mr Balalaa said. “Everyone knows that water is a lifeline. There is no water, there is no life, but everyone takes it for granted.”
As such, the UAE, which “knows the true value of water”, has been working to integrate it into global frameworks and “bring back water as a priority”, he said.
The country will host and co-chair the UN Water Conference with Senegal in December 2026. The high-level event aims to accelerate progress towards the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 6, ensuring the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.
According to the World Health Organisation, about 2.2 billion people lack access to clean drinking water.
“We believe water is a human right for everyone,” said Mr Balalaa. As such, the UAE met with UN member states, civil societies, NGOs and academic institutions when drafting the themes of the six interactive dialogues for the 2026 event, all of which were adopted in consensus at the UN General Assembly in July.
“That’s the first time a water topic in the United Nations gets adopted in consensus,” he said.
The six dialogues are: water for people; water for prosperity; water for planet; water for co-operation; water in multilateral processes; and investments for water.
“We made sure that no one is left behind,” Mr Balalaa said.
“There’s a huge excitement that the UAE is hosting the United Nations Water Conference,” he added. “Hopefully by 2026, we will be delivering something that really brings water back where it belongs.”
