London: Abdulla Balalaa, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Energy and Sustainable Affairs, took part in a crucial ministerial roundtable organized by the United Kingdom's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. The event focused on 'Tackling water security across the climate-nature-development nexus' and emphasized the urgent need for collective action and sustained leadership on the global water crisis.
According to Emirates News Agency, the roundtable was chaired by Baroness Chapman, the United Kingdom's Minister of State for International Development, Latin America and the Caribbean. It gathered ministers from countries such as Senegal, Malawi, Morocco, Nigeria, Nepal, and Bangladesh, along with senior leaders from major multilateral institutions and international organizations. These included the European Commission, the World Bank, UNICEF, UN Water, Water Aid, and the Global Commission on the Economics of Water. The aim was to identify priority areas for collaboration over the next year to address water challenges across the climate-nature-development nexus.
During the discussions, Balalaa underscored the UAE's preparations for the 2026 UN Water Conference, emphasizing the event's focus on accelerating the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 6. He highlighted that this goal serves as a catalyst and enabler for all Sustainable Development Goals, as well as global societal, environmental, and economic objectives.
Participants reached a consensus to leverage key opportunities over the coming year to build and maintain leadership in areas of water, sanitation, and hygiene. They agreed to work in multi-stakeholder partnerships to drive scalable, innovative, and inclusive solutions to the water crisis and to cooperate with existing UN processes to strengthen water's integration within the international agenda.
Balalaa also attended a reception hosted by His Majesty King Charles III at Buckingham Palace. The event, in collaboration with WaterAid, focused on 'Water and Climate.'
This ministerial roundtable followed the Organizational Session of the 2026 UN Water Conference at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on March 3rd. Over 70 participants, including Member States and stakeholders, shared recommendations for the themes of the six interactive dialogues of the Conference. The themes are set to be decided during a preparatory meeting convened by the President of the General Assembly on July 9, 2025.