Abu Dhabi : The 7th Cairo Water Week, coinciding with the 9th Africa Water Week (October 13th - 17th), marked a key milestone for the UAE and Senegal in the preparations for the UN 2026 Water Conference.
This week, the UAE engaged with key actors in Africa and the international community on various matters regarding the UN 2026 Water Conference, including ways of ensuring an inclusive preparatory process in the lead-up, the importance of involving all stakeholder groups across sectors, and the emphasis on moving from commitments to implementation to accelerate progress on Sustainable Development Goal 6 on clean water and sanitation, and the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda with large.
One of the key engagements included a high-level session co-organised by the governments of Egypt, Senegal, and the United Arab Emirates on "Aspirations for the UN 2026 Water Conference". The session was attended by ministers from Iraq, Nigeria, Senegal, and South Africa, and high-level senior representatives from the governments of Japan, the Netherlands, and the European Union.
Key non-state actors also took part in the session (UN entities, NGOs, the private sector, and civil society). Participants shared their overall vision for priorities and envisioned outcomes of the Conference, all underscoring water as a fundamental driver of sustainable development.
At the session, Shaima Gargash, UAE Director of Energy and Sustainability Affairs, stated "We want everyone to see the UN 2026 Water Conference as an opportunity to aspire, push boundaries, re-imagine ways of working to move the needle on water in the global agenda and position water as a fundamental driver for sustainable development, to not only accelerate progress on Sustainable Development Goal 6, but all Sustainable Development Goals."
Cheikh Tidiane Dieye, Senegal's Minister of Hydraulics and Sanitation, further emphasised that "Senegal is committed to ensuring that this process creates lasting impacts and prepares the groundwork for a transformative conference in 2026. We cannot act alone - the success of our global water ambitions depends on collective engagement and cooperation.
Together, we will turn our vision into reality, ensuring that future generations inherit a world where water flows freely and abundantly for all. Senegal also mentioned that they look forward to convening the high-level preparatory meeting for the UN 2026 Water Conference in Dakar in 2025."
At the session, Pemmy Majodina, South Africa's Minister of Water and Sanitation, also announced that South Africa will be organising the AU-Africa Water Investment Summit in 2025 in the context of the upcoming G20 Presidency, and they encourage all actors to see this as an important milestone on the road to the UN 2026 Water Conference.
Other UAE engagements included participating in sessions on multiple topics including on the water and climate interlinkages highlighting COP28's efforts in elevating water within the climate agenda, and on desalination to share more on the UAE's efforts in advancing and prioritising desalination technology, particularly through the efforts of the recently launched Mohamed Bin Zayed Water Initiative, and its first major initiative, partnering with XPRIZE, with an investment of USD 150 million to launch the XPRIZE Water Scarcity competition, which has a total prize purse of USD 119 million.
The seventh edition of the Cairo Water Week was convened on October 13-17 under the theme "Water and Climate: Building Resilient Communities, organised by the Egyptian Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation (MWRI). This year, the 9th Africa Water Week and the 2024 Cairo Water Week are being organised jointly.