The UAE and Senegal made substantial progress at the 7th Cairo Water Week, held October 13–17, 2024, as part of preparations for the UN Water Conference in 2026. Running alongside the 9th Africa Water Week, the event gave the UAE a global platform to engage Africa and the international community on the future of water and the road to SDG 6 — clean water and sanitation — under the broader 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.
High-Level Session on the 2026 UN Water Conference
A centrepiece of Cairo Water Week 2024 was the high-level session co-organised by Egypt, Senegal, and the UAE, titled "Aspirations for the UN 2026 Water Conference." The session brought together ministers from Iraq, Nigeria, Senegal, and South Africa, alongside senior representatives from Japan, the Netherlands, and the European Union.
National and international government institutions, NGOs, civil society organisations, UN bodies, the business community, and civil society groups all weighed in on how the objectives of the 2026 UN Water Conference should be defined — with water positioned as a pivotal pillar of sustainable development.
UAE and Senegal Call for Ambition
UAE Director of Energy and Sustainability Affairs Shaima Gargash underscored the significance of the 2026 Water Conference, describing it as a chance to "aim higher and envision new possibilities and a new paradigm and approach for positioning water as an accelerator of sustainable change."
Senegal's Minister of Hydraulics and Sanitation, C T Diéye, called for collective action and announced that a preparatory meeting would take place in Dakar in 2025 ahead of the defining conference. South Africa's Minister of Water and Sanitation, Pemmy Majodina, also announced the 2025 AU-Africa Water Investment Summit, which will be hosted in sequence with South Africa's G20 Presidency.
Desalination Innovation and the Mohamed bin Zayed Water Initiative
The UAE also participated in sessions focused on water-climate connections and new developments in desalination. A highlight was the Mohamed bin Zayed Water Initiative's launch of the XPRIZE Water Scarcity competition — a five-year, $119 million prize backed by a $150 million investment — designed to unlock innovation in affordable seawater desalination and deliver clean water to millions globally.
The competition challenges teams to produce one million litres of potable water per day from seawater at the lowest sustainable cost, with the goal of supporting 10,000 people per winning system.
What the 2026 UN Water Conference Means
The 2026 UN Water Conference is scheduled for December 2–4, 2026, in the UAE, co-hosted by the UAE and Senegal. It aims to accelerate progress on SDG 6, strengthen global water governance, and elevate water security as a central pillar of international development. Cairo Water Week 2024 served as a critical early step in building the multilateral consensus needed for that summit to deliver results.
