%20UN%20Water%20Conference%20Academic%20Hub%20%E2%80%93%20Logo.png)
About the 2026 UN Water Conference
The 2026 UN Water Conference will take place from 8-10 December, 2026, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The Conference, co-hosted by Senegal and the UAE, aims to accelerate the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6), enhance global water governance, and further elevate water-related issues on the international agenda.
Participation at the 2026 Conference will include Member States, UN agencies, non-governmental organizations, academic institutions, Indigenous Peoples, the private sector, international financial institutions, and other key stakeholders.
This page will be regularly updated as new information about the 2026 UN Water Conference becomes available.
UN 2023 Water Conference
The UN 2023 Water Conference – formally known as the 2023 Conference for the Midterm Comprehensive Review of Implementation of the UN Decade for Action on Water and Sanitation (2018–2028) – took place at UN Headquarters in New York from 22–24 March 2023 and was co-hosted by Tajikistan and the Netherlands. It was the largest-ever gathering of Members States and stakeholders to deliberate on water.
The Conference inspired thousands of stakeholders to organize hundreds of side events at UN Headquarters, as well as during New York Water Week. Civil society, the private sector and
scientists delivered a resounding message for a paradigm shift, working together for a sustainable and more socially balanced water future in an enabling, transformative environment. The Water Conference marked the starting point of a new narrative in sustainable development – one built on understanding, a revaluation of water, and the development of new water cooperation models.
More than 10 years ago, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly adopted the Transforming our World: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (2030 Agenda) as an ambitious, universal plan of action for people, the planet and prosperity (UN, General Assembly, 2015a). At the heart of this 2030 Agenda were 17 interlinked Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including Goal 6: “Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all” (SDG 6).
The adoption of SDG 6 marked the first time the entire water cycle – from drinking water and sanitation to water quality, efficiency, stress, management and ecosystems – was reflected in a unified, internationally agreed global framework (figure 1.1). Comprising a goal, 8 targets and 11 indicators, SDG 6 has enabled countries and actors at all levels to align policies, set targets, mobilize resources, track progress, identify gaps and act on evidence to improve water and sanitation outcomes.
A decade later, the results are visible: billions more people can access safer drinking water, sanitation and hygiene; water-use efficiency is rising; and freshwater ecosystems are being restored and protected. Countries are applying integrated water resources management to balance competing needs for people, economies and nature, and operationalizing arrangements for transboundary water cooperation.
However, taking stock of progress reveals the scope and scale of what still remains to be done to achieve SDG 6. Despite incremental gains, the world continues to face significant global water challenges.1 Billions of people still live without safely managed drinking water and sanitation services. Water stress has reached critical levels in some regions and countries. When SDG 6 indicator values are aggregated and averaged at global or national levels, they often mask substantial regional and local disparities, with the most vulnerable populations being disproportionally affected. The effects of climate change are felt throughout the water cycle: water demand is rising; ambient water quality is declining; and pressures on food security, energy production and waterrelated ecosystems (including mountains, forests, wetlands, rivers, aquifers and lakes) are growing.
While the scope and scale of current and future water-related challenges are unprecedented, the benefits of improving the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation are unparalleled. Global recognition of the criticality and potential of water for sustainable development, climate resilience, stability and eradication of poverty has reached a new apex. Amid a shifting multilateral landscape, there is a rising political commitment among Member States to prioritize the global water agenda. More than ever before, now is the time to keep making progress and not jeopardize gains already made.