The private sector could hold the key to solving the problem of global water scarcity, a senior UAE official has said.
Abdulla Balalaa, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Energy and Sustainability, was speaking at a media briefing on Monday to promote the third UN Water Conference in December, which will take place in Abu Dhabi, with global policymakers, private investors and young voices expected to take part.
“Water underpins every aspect of development and economic activity,” said Mr Balalaa.
Although the UAE has achieved 100 per cent coverage for safe water and sanitation, it is no stranger to water scarcity. The country, in one of the most water-scarce regions in thw world, obtains the majority of its water from desalination.
Globally, 2.1 billion people lack safely managed drinking water, 3.4 billion people do not have access to safely managed sanitation, and 1.7 billion lack basic hygiene services at home, according to data shared by Mr Balalaa.
The time is now, the official said, to make investments and plans for the future. Alarm bells are ringing – Sustainable Development Goal 6, which aims to ensure the availability and sustainable management of clean water and sanitation for all by 2030, is already off-track.
“According to international reports, the financial gap is quantified at $6.7 trillion. As of today, 90 per cent of the total spending on the water sector comes from governments and public capital,” he said.
“The objective is to turn this into an opportunity for the private sector, which will basically relieve the load from government spending, but at the same time to give them the opportunity to deploy water projects.”
The conference encapsulates six interactive dialogues, but the emphasis was drawn to the final one – Investments for Water. This follows the core theme of “Water x Investment”, shedding light on how private funding is increasingly necessary for the materialisation of future projects.
He said this was the reason for the UAE hosting the conference.
“Urbanisation and population growth will only exacerbate the scarcity of the existing resources,” he told The National. “We see this as something very important to shed light on, and hence we are convening the world here in the UAE to work together to come up with solutions that can be deemed fruitful for the next generations to come.”
Mr Balalaa said that, when it comes to water, everyone has an important role to play.
“Responsibility falls on everyone here, but also the population and the community itself. There is a responsibility that lies with them also to use this resource in a very moderate and efficient manner and not over-consume,” he said.
What is the UN Water Conference?
The 2026 UN Water Conference, co-hosted by the UAE and Senegal, will be held at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (Adnec) from December 8 to 10.
There will be a UN-led Blue Zone, as well as a UAE-led zone called The Oasis. They will engage with the public through activations and hope to bring people together to discuss solutions, similar to the Green Zone at Cop28 in Dubai.
It will be the third UN Water Conference, with Argentina having hosted the first one in 1977 and New York hosting the second one in 2023.
