The High-Level Preparatory Meeting for the 2026 United Nations Water Conference concluded Tuesday, January 27, 2026, in Dakar, Senegal, formally launching a year long global dialogue process designed to accelerate action on Sustainable Development Goal 6 and transform how the world addresses its mounting water crisis.
Co-hosted by the Republic of Senegal and the United Arab Emirates, the two day gathering brought together heads of state, ministers, senior UN officials, development partners, civil society leaders and international organisations. The meeting marked the first assembly of the twelve countries appointed to co-chair the six Interactive Dialogues that will structure the December 2026 conference in Abu Dhabi.
Senegal’s President Bassirou Diomaye Faye opened proceedings with a phrase that captured the urgency: L’urgence, c’est maintenant, the urgency is now. His intervention framed the global water crisis not as a distant risk but as an immediate political responsibility, emphasizing that water underpins human dignity, public health, social stability and national prosperity.
United Arab Emirates Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Energy and Sustainability Abdulla Balalaa positioned the conference as a Conference of Implementation, urging that after a 46 year pause in UN Water Conferences, the 2026 gathering must deliver on action. He warned that without coordinated global water action, the international community risks failing not only SDG 6 but many broader global priorities.
The Dakar meeting established the operational framework for the conference process, with twelve member states now serving as co-chairs across six thematic dialogues: Water for People (Ghana and Switzerland), Water for Prosperity (China and Spain), Water for Planet (Egypt and Japan), Water for Cooperation (Zambia and Finland), Water in Multilateral Processes (Germany and Mexico), and Investments for Water (France and South Africa).
To capture the outcomes of the Dakar meeting, the co-hosts will put together a summary including a Roadmap from Senegal to the UAE, which will contribute to the in depth review of SDG 6 by the UN High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development in July.
