2026 United Nations Water Conference: organizational session

The session is a key part of the preparatory process for the 2026 United Nations Water Conference, to be co-hosted by the United Arab Emirates and Senegal and convened in UAE on 2-4 December 2026, and which aims to accelerate the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 6: to ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.

The organizational session will hear statements from Member State groups, Member States, UN system representatives, and stakeholders, on issues that will inform recommendations to the General Assembly on the themes of the 2026 Conference’s six Interactive Dialogues.

The session, hosted by the United Arab Emirates and Senegal, will be opened by Mr. Abdulla Balalaa, Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs for Energy and Sustainability, United Arab Emirates; Mr. Abdulla Balalaa, Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs for Energy and Sustainability, United Arab Emirates; Mr. Li Junhua, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, and 2026 UN Water Conference Secretary General; Ms. Retno Marsudi, UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on Water; and, Mr. Alvaro Lario, President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and Chair of UN-Water.

The organizational session will be held on 3 March 2025 in the ECOSOC Chamber, at the UNHQ in New York from 10:00-13:00 and 15:00-18:00 EST. Watch the UN Web TV broadcast here.