The United Arab Emirates continued to build momentum towards the 2026 United Nations Water Conference through a series of high-level engagements during the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly and New York Climate Week, bringing together governments, businesses, investors, innovators, humanitarian organizations, researchers, students, and civil society.
Led by H.E. Abdulla Balalaa, UAE Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Energy and Sustainability, the programme included a high-level session at United Nations Headquarters with H.E. Reem Al Hashimy, focused on strengthening collective action on water ahead of the Conference.
H.E. Balalaa and H.E. Badr Jafar, UAE Special Envoy on Business and Philanthropy, also convened more than 50 investors and C-suite leaders to discuss how greater investment can be unlocked for water. H.E. Balalaa separately joined business and investment leaders for a World Economic Forum Year of Water roundtable and delivered a keynote as part of the initiative.
Technology also featured throughout the week. At Goals House, H.E. Balalaa joined leaders from Microsoft, 500 Global, and Xatoms to discuss how innovation, investment, and responsible resource management must advance together. Separately, a discussion at the UAE Permanent Mission to the UN explored how AI can support areas including hydrological forecasting, flood planning, drought response, irrigation management, and more effective water allocation.
H.E. Balalaa also participated in the US Chamber of Commerce’s convening on the role of technology in addressing the global water challenge and joined Ian Bremmer for a fireside conversation at the Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting focused on water as a driver of economic opportunity.
At Goals House, Shaima Gargash, Director of Energy and Sustainability at the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, hosted a discussion on the role of culture, sport, and storytelling in engaging wider audiences around water.
Further engagements included a dedicated discussion on water as a tool for peace and investment in fragile and humanitarian settings, as well as a meeting between H.E. Balalaa and students from New York University and other academic institutions on the role of youth in driving innovation and action on water.
These engagements form part of the UAE’s wider programme on the road to the 2026 United Nations Water Conference, co-hosted by the UAE and Senegal in Abu Dhabi from 8–10 December.
Registration for the 2026 UN Water Conference’s Oasis is now open and free of charge via the official Conference website, with further updates available across X, LinkedIn, Meta, and Instagram at @UNWaterConfUAE.