Later this year, water will take center stage at the 2026 United Nations Water Conference in Abu Dhabi. World leaders will then come together to tackle the global water crisis. Ahead of this major Conference on 8-10 December, here are 3 reasons everyone should care.
1. Despite progress, 2.1 billion people still lack access to safe drinking water
Since the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were adopted in 2015, the world has made significant progress to advance the water and sanitation goals.
Billions of people have gained access to safer drinking water, sanitation and hygiene services, and water use efficiency has improved significantly.
Yet, today, an estimated 2.1 billion people still lack access to safely managed drinking water and 3.4 billion have no access to safely managed sanitation services. More than 1,000 children die each day from preventable illnesses linked to unsafe water and inadequate sanitation. Additionally, rising water demand, conflicts, population growth, and climate change are placing increasing pressure on water resources worldwide.
2. 2026 UN Water Conference to mobilize action and deliver results
To improve the situation for people around the world, the Conference will be an opportunity to strengthen political commitment, scale up investments and mobilize implementation efforts to build a water-secure future for all.
Co-hosted by the United Arab Emirates and the Republic of Senegal, the Conference will focus on concrete actions and significant investments in water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH); innovative technologies; disaster risk reduction, and other measures including a number of flagship initiatives to secure progress.
It will also prioritize cross-cutting solutions, including those rooted in integrated water resource management (IWRM), which considers WASH, agriculture, urban infrastructure and freshwater ecosystems all as part of an indivisible whole.
The themes of the Conference¡¯s interactive dialogues¡ª Water for People, Water for Prosperity, Water for Planet, Water for Cooperation, Water in Multilateral Processes, and Investments in Water¡ªwill give governments and their partners the chance to exchange ideas and ignite political will.
3. Water elevated to top of global agenda
The international community has recognized that water must be elevated to the top of the global agenda.
The 2026 UN Water Conference will therefore be followed by another UN Water Conference in 2028. This time in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.
The deliberations and outcomes of both the 2026 and 2028 Conferences will help ensure that water is embraced as a key driver of sustainable development towards 2030 and beyond.
For more information:
Explore the lazy person¡¯s guide to saving water