By Abdullahi Lukman
The UN Department for Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) has released a report summarizing stakeholder contributions to the six interactive dialogues planned for the 2026 UN Water Conference, scheduled for December in the United Arab Emirates.
The publication, titled “Inputs to Interactive Dialogues’ Concept Papers: Summary Report” and dated January 2026, synthesizes 368 submissions from stakeholders across 82 countries.
The inputs were gathered through a global online consultation held from 9 September to 17 October 2025.
The six dialogue themes were adopted by consensus by the UN General Assembly in July 2025.
They include: water for people; water for prosperity; water for planet; water for cooperation; water in multilateral processes; and investments for water.
The themes address issues ranging from the human rights to water and sanitation to climate resilience, transboundary cooperation, financing, and progress on Sustainable Development Goal 6 (clean water and sanitation).
According to DESA, contributors—including governments, NGOs, civil society, academia, Indigenous Peoples, the private sector, and philanthropic organizations—identified key challenges and proposed practical, action-oriented solutions.
Stakeholders emphasized accelerating SDG 6 implementation through innovative partnerships, improved governance, and strengthened institutional capacity.
For the dialogue on water in multilateral processes, participants cited fragmented governance, siloed mandates, and overlapping institutional efforts as major obstacles.
Recommended solutions included joint data-sharing platforms, inclusive governance frameworks, youth leadership initiatives, Indigenous-led approaches, standardized SDG 6 metrics, climate-linked financing mechanisms, green bonds, and blended finance models.
The UN Secretariat, working with UN-Water, is preparing detailed concept papers for each dialogue, incorporating the stakeholder feedback.
At a recent High-Level Preparatory Meeting in Dakar, Senegal, countries discussed key messages and strategic priorities to shape the conference agenda and craft a coherent political narrative.
Dialogue co-chairs highlighted cross-cutting themes and emerging priorities shared across the six tracks.
The 2026 UN Water Conference will take place from 2–4 December 2026 in the UAE, co-hosted by Senegal and the United Arab Emirates, with a focus on advancing global water action and accelerating progress toward sustainable water management.
