At COP29, and in preparation for the UN 2026 Water Conference, the United Arab Emirates’ Head of delegation, Abdulla Balalaa, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Energy and Sustainability, participated in wide-ranging discussions that highlighted the UAE’s commitment to advancing water issues on the international agenda.
His participation also emphasised key UAE-led initiatives aimed at addressing global water challenges.
The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ activities included holding a session previewing the UN 2026 Water Conference, which kickstarted the programming at the UAE Pavilion on COP29’s Food, Agriculture and Water Day.
During the session, the UAE gave an overview of the vision for the Conference and held discussions on global water priorities, including enhancing the focus on water within the three Rio conventions, and taking a cross-sectoral approach to accelerating global water efforts.
Co-hosted by Balalaa, and Daouda Ngom, Senegal’s Minister of the Environment and Ecological Transition, the session gathered together key actors from across sectors and stakeholder groups including María Fernanda Espinosa, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ecuador and 73rd President of the UN General Assembly, Francesco La Camera, Director-General of the International Renewable Energy Agency, Astrid Schomaker, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, as well as senior representatives from the government of Brazil, the COP29 Presidency, the Islamic Development Bank, the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, the University College of London, and the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa.
At the session, Balalaa, said, “Through the UN 2026 Water Conference, the UAE aims to raise ambition, reimagine ways of working, and collaboratively identify innovative solutions and impactful outcomes that will move the needle on Sustainable Development Goal 6.”
Engagements at the UN 2026 Water Conference also included an informal consultation for non-state actors on the potential themes for the interactive dialogues of the Conference, and convening a roundtable discussion with the private sector, philanthropies and non-government organisations to address challenges to water investment.
At COP29, the UAE also participated in various events to highlight its prioritisation of water and climate issues, building on the success of COP28, which gave unprecedented attention to water within the COP process.
Activities at the conference included a keynote address at the inauguration of the Water for Climate Pavilion, which was attended by the President of Tajikistan, Emomali Rahmon, the UN Special Envoy for Water, the Climate Envoy of the Netherlands, and the Climate Ambassador of Sweden. Additionally, the UAE, highlighted key initiatives on water such as the Mohamed Bin Zayed Water Initiative (MBZWI), as a catalyst for solutions to water scarcity.
The UAE also endorsed the COP29 Water for Climate Action Declaration and joined the ministerial launch of the Baku Dialogue on Water for Climate Action, as its implementation mechanism, to ensure the continuity of dialogue between COPs.
At the launch event, Balalaa emphasised the importance of positioning water at the centre of climate action and ensuring that dialogue and actions on water are taken forward from COP to COP, and on to the UN 2026 Water Conference in the UAE.
