An interview with the co-hosts of the 2026 UN Water Conference

The Water Diplomat (addressing H.E. Balalaa): Your Excellency, in Dakar you described the 2026 UN Water Conference as a ‘Conference of Implementation’ — a conference that must move the international community from commitments towards delivery. We are now several months further along the road from Dakar to Abu Dhabi. What progress has been made in putting that vision into practice?

H.E. Abdulla Balalaa: That's a good question. For us, as the United Arab Emirates, working with Senegal, but also with the other stakeholders - and when I say stakeholders, I refer to member states, civil society, NGOs, Indigenous people, academic institutions-, we started almost two years ago, and we've approached this in a quite inclusive way. We knocked on all doors. We have had very inclusive consultations to create an architecture for implementation, and that was a good start because we touched base with everyone as stakeholders, which led into a consensus in July 2025 on the six interactive dialogues. It is in the nature of water that it intersects with everything, and the six themes in the interactive dialogs are actually addressing how water intersects and with how much of a priority it touches on these sectors. And getting a consensus from all member states - this is a great step forward towards coming up with an implementable outcome at the conference.

Fast forward, I will speak about Abu Dhabi or the UAE in general. In January this year, we launched the Abu Dhabi Global Water Platform, where we committed for $1 billion to finance, but also to execute projects where it is mostly needed. In addition there was, of course, the appointment of our 12 co-chairs, and at its heart, the appointment of our co-chairs focuses on coming up with flagship initiatives- what's known today as flagship initiatives. We want to move forward, or at least for the remaining time, to how we can come up with these flagship initiatives under each interactive dialogue that truly can move the needle forward and improve dignity and human lives when it comes to water, so these are some of the implementation-focused, I would say, tracks that we've been following. But also, the UAE by itself have done tremendously great when it comes to financing, when it comes to humanitarian aid, and when it comes to also bringing the subject higher up in different multilateral platforms globally.

The Water Diplomat: May I insert a follow up question here: would you say that these flagship initiatives are symbolic or emblematic of what the different interactive dialogues are attempting to achieve?

H.E. Abdulla Balalaa: That is true, but these flagship initiatives are water flagship initiatives, as they intersect with one another. So across the six interactive dialogues, some of these flagship initiatives are actually intersecting with other interactive dialogues, and here is the art of how we are managing this: we meet regularly with our co-chairs, bi-weekly, sometimes even weekly. The teams are always in contact. So, if someone is proposing a flagship initiative through interactive dialogue number two, it doesn't mean number four and number six are not involved in that dialog. So, for us, creating the synergy among our co-chairs, the 12 countries which are co-chairs, throughout the interactive dialogues and flagship initiatives is important. But we know they do not only address specifically the challenges per dialogue, but also touch on others.

The Water Diplomat (addressing DR. Diatta) : Dr. Diatta, at the High Level Preparatory Meeting in Dakar, H.E. Minister Cheikh Tidiane Dieye proposed three levers for water governance: improved coordination, more regular global water meetings and strong partnerships to deliver results. As we move closer to the UN Water Conference, where are you seeing the most progress?

Dr. Mohamed Diatta: Thank you for inviting Senegal to this dialogue. As you know, our role as co-host is to advocate for the global water agenda, and of course, His Excellency Cheikh Tidiane Dieye mentioned these three dimensions that you were highlighted at the conclusion of the Dakar meeting. We have made significant progress from Dakar to Stockholm Water Week 2026, together with the twelve co-chairs and all our partners: creating momentum through technical support; building evidence, developing solutions and partnerships; and designing the content for the interactive dialogues and Conference programme.

Now the phase from Stockholm to Abu Dhabi is where the phase of political ambition and designing the outcome begin. We are working closely with our partner, the United Arab Emirates, to see how we can bring stronger outcomes of the conference. And this is why these three dimensions that were mentioned in January in Dakar are important. We want a high-level conference in Abu Dhabi. We already have been talking with experts, with international institutions. Now is the time for the political dimension to act, and we want to see what the political delivery on water will look like. This is why we are inviting all Heads of States and Governments. We invite people to join us in Abu Dhabi with a high-level ambition, with pipelines of projects, so that we can turn this work into decisions and action and celebrate new water victories in Abu Dhabi and beyond.

The Water Diplomat (addressing H.E. Balalaa): As we look ahead to the 2026 UN Water Conference, what would success look like — and what do you hope the Conference will deliver?

H.E. Abdulla Balalaa: The UN Water Conference 2026 in Abu Dhabi comes at a pivotal moment, and success can be measured in multiple ways. Number one, we want to bring this to the attention of the political leadership. So, for us, having delegations from around the world at the highest level possible is important, and we are sure that this will be achieved. The second thing, as I mentioned earlier, is bringing everyone to the table, exchanging views and ideas, but also with the focus - or the filter - if you want, of implementation, because the numbers are shocking, and we really, really want to move a needle to impact human lives. The third thing, as I said earlier, we spoke about the flagship initiatives that can really change the trajectory of what water looks like. But also, we want the UN Water Conference 2026 to be the launchpad for a series of regular UN Water Conferences in the future. That is something we're working on with our friends and colleagues from different member states, and hopefully, it's one of the things that will be finalised before we reach the December 2026 UN Water Conference.

The Water Diplomat (addressing both): We now have a sequence of three UN Water Conferences from 2023 to 2028. How can we use this momentum to build sustained political attention on water – and a stronger global framework beyond 2028?

H.E. Abdulla Balalaa: The UAE, before we put ourselves forward to co-host the UN Water Conference, we value water and we truly understand how precious of a resource water is, given where we are geographically located, we know how water is. Because of this, we've been embedding water into every single thing we are doing. We have regular global and international convenings that take place in the UAE, in Abu Dhabi, in Dubai, in Sharjah, but also in the other Emirates, where water is always present in everything we do, such as Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week. You have multiple platforms, the World Government Summit, and when we hosted COP 28 in 2023, we dedicated a full day to water, and we also pledged 150 million dollars, which is what is known today as the Mohammed bin Zayed Water Initiative. So, moving forward, we've been advocating the importance of water in different multilateral platforms, but also with Tajikistan as a host country for the 2028 UN Water Conference – the objective here is to create momentum, but also momentum with outcomes, and create a series of UN Water conferences that doubles down on whatever will happen in 2026. And of course, with what we've done, we took into consideration what happened in 2023. We are building on it, but also we are having our own uniqueness when it comes to commitments and convenings in Abu Dhabi, and we hope in 2028 this synergy continues, but also beyond 2028. I believe governments should look at water as a main enabler for any successful economy.

Dr. Mohamed Diatta: As you know, we have been mobilising Member States, the private sector, Indigenous Peoples, young people, women, academia, and a large diversity of international institutions to bring in Abu Dhabi what we can deliver at the political level. This must be a whole-of-government and whole-of-society effort. Between Abu Dhabi and the 2028 UN Water Conference, we have the upcoming SDG Summit in 2027. And what we are going to do is to bring the outcomes of Abu Dhabi – the key messages on how to accelerate SDG 6 and how to improve our actions – to the SDG Summit in 2027 and the UN Water Conference in 2028. The Abu Dhabi UN Water Conference must impact the outcome of the SDG summit in 2027, and we must also bridge our paths between 2026 and 2028, because the conferences must deliver something stronger for the whole community. Here, we are talking about the regularity of the conferences, we are talking about the global framework for water.

The sequence ahead gives us a unique opportunity. The 2026 UN Water Conference in Abu Dhabi, the SDG Summit in 2027 and the UN Water Conference in Dushanbe in 2028 should not be seen as isolated events, but as milestones in one sustained political process, leading to a one common water agenda, such a global framework for water and the regularity of the UN Water conferences.

Together, Abu Dhabi 2026, New York 2027 and Dushanbe 2028 can form a political arc for water transformation. This is the inclusive spirit of Senegalese water diplomacy which advocates cooperation, partnership, solidarity, inclusivity and mutual trust. The whole water community has realised that now is the time, and we now have the momentum, to deliver on a stronger legacy for water.

Regional efforts, such as those led by the African Union to adopt the Africa Water Vision 2063 and Policy can further reinforce political momentum and strengthen regional cooperation to deliver tangible results and ensure lasting solutions.

The Water Diplomat (addressing H.E. Balalaa) : The High-Level Panel has highlighted that water is essential to priorities, from food and health to energy and economic development. What does this mean for how governments need to think about water?

H.E. Abdulla Balalaa: Today, water plays a significant role in industries, in future technologies such as artificial intelligence and data centers, in creating jobs, and if you take agriculture for example as one of the sectors, it's reliance on water, and it's a labour-intensive sector. So for economies, of course, and health care, it's a major enabler. Of course, we should mention also the renewables: there are countries today that rely for 100% on water, for generating the power for their grids. So it's an enabler that touches on multiple sectors, and this is how governments should think of it. Governments also should sharpen the regulations in place, open up, and be ready for attracting foreign direct investments, and also stimulate the private sector to come and invest in the water sector, be it in generation, in transmission, or in distribution. So, water is a main enabler, if we are to speak about the private sector, for example, there is a huge opportunity that is on the table to pitch in, but also to play a role while investing in water sector.

We already have financing tools, or do you have technology? You have an expertise that you can. What is stopping the people from growing these businesses to scalable as a new group through digital networks

The Water Diplomat (addressing Dr. Diatta): How can the multilateral processes and the sequence of events ensure impact for implementation on the ground and increased capacity to deliver these results?

Dr Mohamed Diatta: For that, we must link national priorities with the regional and the global agenda. This is very important because, at the end of the day, what we must provide is results on the ground: water for people, water for planet, water for prosperity, because at the end, water compels. It compels us to cooperate, cooperate on water, cooperate on institutions. It compels us to innovate, build capacities, linking science and decision making, etc. And water compels us in the end to act, to act for people, for planet, but also to act for prosperity and for future generations.

For Senegal, this is already happening. We have signed the Water Forward Compact with the World Bank and are preparing a Head of State Initiative with the Sanitation and Water for All partnership. These initiatives are designed to align finance, cooperation and partnerships with our national priorities and accelerate progress towards SDG 6.

This is the lesson we must take forward. We cannot succeed through fragmented action. The global community must align behind country priorities and help countries move from commitments to implementation.

If we keep people, planet, prosperity and cooperation at the centre, we can align finance, partnerships and multilateral action around what ultimately matters. Results on the ground. Better lives for people. Greater resilience for our planet. And a stronger foundation for future generations. This is a message of hope and optimism to chart our path to Abu Dhabi and beyond. I thank you.

The Water Diplomat: Dr Diatta, thank you very much for this exchange!

The Water Diplomat (addressing H.E. Balalaa): We already have financing tools, technologies and expertise that can accelerate progress on water. What is stopping us from deploying them at the scale needed?

H.E. Abdulla Balalaa: We have been working on this for the past two years, with multilateral development banks, funds, but generally financiers to basically earmark and come up with mechanisms that are de-risked in order to deploy this capital. I have to say that today, over 90% of the capital deployed on water projects comes from public money - from governments, and these mechanisms and earmarked amounts in the multilateral development banks, but also in funds, and are ready to be utilised by businesses. The work lies with governments on how they can be ready to get access to that capital, but also here, Multilateral Development Banks should also work out an easier way to get governments to access that capital. So it's a mutual interest, a mutual homework, if you want, that needs to be done from both sides, governments and the MDBs. Eventually, the capital is there. We have great initiatives that we are part of with the World Bank, like the Water Forward Initiative.

We have compacts that are in the making, which will also grant countries and member states an access to that capital. And in this way, we really approach the UN Water Conference in December in Abu Dhabi with multiple mechanisms in place, be it blended finance or concessional loans, but also how these compacts will open the door for member states to get access to this capital and eventually deploy projects on the ground and improve quality of life for people.

When we talk about technology, for example, the gap in technology is how to scale it. Technologies and pilots today are everywhere, but how you can scale them where they are needed the most? For example, we at the UN Water Conference are providing the technology owners and bringing the technology owners, the practitioners, and we give them the platform where they can talk about these technologies, and we match them where these technologies should be implemented. From our end, as the UAE, we've done our part. All our platforms in water are AI enabled right now, and also we have the grand prize of Hamlet Ben Zaid Water Initiative, which at its heart is promising to come up with desalination technology that is affordable, sustainable, scalable, but also deployable elsewhere, and this is a testament on how technology and artificial intelligence is embedded as an umbrella in everything we do at the UAE, and water is not an exception, and it will be definitely featured at the UN Water Conference.

The Water Diplomat: Your Excellency, thank you so much for this exchange!

H.E. Abdulla Balalaa: You are welcome.