UAE Intensifies Global Efforts to Advance Water Resilience Ahead of 2026 UN Water Conference
New York, The Gulf Observer: The United Arab Emirates concluded a week of high-level engagements on the sidelines of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly, bringing together governments, businesses, investors, innovators, humanitarian organizations, researchers, students and civil society to advance preparations for the 2026 United Nations Water Conference.
The UAE delegation on water was led by Abdulla Balalaa, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Energy and Sustainability, who held a series of high-level discussions with international partners aimed at generating new ideas and securing concrete commitments ahead of the conference.
The discussions focused on strengthening political will, mobilizing investment, advancing technology and artificial intelligence (AI), and addressing humanitarian water needs through cooperation with UNICEF. Balalaa also held bilateral meetings to promote the conference and explore new avenues for international cooperation on water.
As part of the preparations, the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs organized a humanitarian-focused event titled “From Response to Resilience: Transforming Investments for Water in Fragile and Humanitarian Settings.”
The event examined ways to strengthen water resilience in fragile and humanitarian environments, highlighting how financing and investment can be combined with capacity building, technology, localization and nature-based solutions to deliver sustainable impact on the ground.
Following two years of consultations with UN Member States and international partners, the UAE convened a high-level session at UN Headquarters titled “Water as a Strategic Imperative: From Global Challenges to Collective Action.”
During the session, Balalaa called for stronger political momentum on water and emphasized the need to translate international attention into concrete action.
The session brought together representatives of several Member States and international organizations, alongside senior panelists including the African Union Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment; the Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council; the Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (UNESCWA); and the Managing Director of Operations at the World Bank.
Balalaa also participated in high-level discussions with investment and business leaders during the World Economic Forum’s Year of Water session and the US Chamber of Commerce’s convening on the role of technology in addressing global water challenges.
He stressed that the key challenge is increasingly one of implementation and scaling existing solutions rather than a lack of innovation.
“We already know many technologies work – the question is how we scale them. And, that ultimately requires finance,” Balalaa said, emphasizing that governments alone cannot provide the level of investment required to build resilient water systems and reduce global water stress.
He called for commercial banks, institutional investors, development finance institutions, multilateral development banks, philanthropies and private-sector companies to recognize water as an economic and investment priority.
Against the backdrop of growing global interest in AI, the UAE water delegation also organized a series of discussions examining the links between AI, water and energy. The sessions brought together private-sector leaders, innovators, banks, financial institutions, investors and young people.
At Goals House, Balalaa joined representatives from Microsoft, 500 Global and Xatoms to discuss the importance of advancing innovation, investment and responsible resource management in parallel.
Describing the relationship between AI and water, Balalaa said that the “AI transformation is also a water transformation,” highlighting the central role of AI in addressing water-related challenges.
He noted that the 2026 UN Water Conference would place the AI-water-energy nexus at the forefront of international discussions and provide an opportunity to examine how AI can accelerate economic development while ensuring that the water and energy infrastructure supporting critical digital infrastructure is future-proofed.
He further said that getting the nexus right could enable data centers to serve as platforms for local innovation, helping cities reduce water and energy consumption, strengthen resilience and develop infrastructure for the next generation of digital growth.
At the Clinton Global Initiative’s Annual Meeting, Balalaa participated in a fireside conversation with Ian Bremmer on water as a driver of economic opportunity, reiterating the principle that “investing in water is investing in people.”
At the UAE Permanent Mission to the UN, the UAE water delegation also met with the International Affairs Office and innovators to explore applications of AI in hydrological forecasting, flood planning, drought response, irrigation management and more effective water allocation.
Further engagements included a meeting with students from New York University Abu Dhabi and other academic institutions, during which Balalaa heard their ideas on using innovation to drive positive change.
He also joined H.H. Sheikha Dr. Moza bint Tahnoun Al Nahyan at an academic carnival showcasing research and development and digital innovations being undertaken by UAE universities to advance water resilience.
The UAE said the engagements held during UNGA81 and New York Climate Week underscored that the future of water management will depend not only on water institutions, but also on technology companies, investors, humanitarian organizations, researchers, entrepreneurs and cultural platforms capable of engaging communities and the wider public.
Registration for the Oasis at the 2026 UN Water Conference is now open and free of charge. The UAE has invited governments, organizations, businesses, researchers, innovators and members of the public to participate in the conference in Abu Dhabi and contribute to international efforts to translate water-related ambitions into concrete action.
