UAE and Senegal, as Co-Hosts of the upcoming 2026 UN Water Conference, held a virtual high-level meeting on April 14, 2026. The meeting included ministers and senior representatives from the twelve Co-Chairs of the six Interactive Dialogues for the Conference. This session followed the earlier High-Level Preparatory Meeting in Dakar, held in January 2026.
The meeting focused on strengthening political alignment, reinforcing coherence across key priorities, and offered a platform to review preparations for each Interactive Dialogue. Participants discussed ways to elevate water on the global agenda, sustain political momentum, mobilise resources, and drive coordinated, long-term action.
Quoting Abdulla Balalaa, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Energy and Sustainability, “Despite the current circumstances, the UAE remains unwavering in its commitment at the highest political level to deliver a successful and impactful Conference.” He also stated, “What we are building together is unprecedented. Expectations are high, and I am confident that, together, we can deliver something truly transformative at the 2026 UN Water Conference in Abu Dhabi.”
Cheikh Tidiane Dieye, Senegal’s Minister of Hydraulics and Sanitation, highlighted the global importance of water, saying, “In the face of growing challenges in an ever-changing world, we must position water as a powerful driver of peace, solidarity, and development. Securing the future of this vital resource for people and the planet requires effective cooperation, innovative and adequate investment, and, above all, responsible and action-oriented multilateralism that serves people, biodiversity, and future generations.”
The meeting is the latest in a series of sustained technical-level engagements between the Co-Hosts and Co-Chairs. Notably, technical focal points from all twelve Co-Chairs convened in Rome in March 2026 during the 43rd UN-Water Meeting, where they aligned work plans, coordinated on operational modalities, and strengthened ties with the UN system.
The 2026 UN Water Conference, jointly hosted by the UAE and Senegal in Abu Dhabi, aims to accelerate the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 6: ensuring the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.
The current selection of Co-Chairs and their respective Interactive Dialogues are as follows:
- Water for People: Ghana and Switzerland
- Water for Prosperity: China and Spain
- Water for Planet: Egypt and Japan
- Water for Cooperation: Finland and Zambia
- Water in Multilateral Processes: Germany and Mexico
- Investments for Water: France and South Africa
Team V.4-EM-UAE
