New York:The United Arab Emirates concluded a week of high-level engagements during the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly, focusing on the upcoming 2026 United Nations Water Conference. The UAE delegation, led by Abdulla Balalaa, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Energy and Sustainability, conducted discussions with global partners to generate new ideas and secure commitments for the conference.
According to Wam, the discussions addressed building political will, mobilizing investment, and advancing technology and AI, with a humanitarian focus in partnership with UNICEF. Bilateral meetings were also held to promote the conference and explore cooperation opportunities on water.
As part of the preparations, the UAE's Ministry of Foreign Affairs organized an event titled 'From Response to Resilience: Transforming Investments for Water in Fragile and Humanitarian Settings'. This event aimed to support steps to strengthen water resilience in fragile settings by integrating funding, capacity building, technology, and nature-based solutions.
A high-level session, 'Water as a Strategic Imperative: From Global Challenges to Collective Action', was hosted at the United Nations Headquarters. This session included various Member States and international organizations, where Balalaa called for turning political momentum into concrete action on water issues.
Balalaa participated in roundtables with investment and business leaders, emphasizing the need for financing to scale technologies that address water challenges. He noted that governments alone cannot meet the required investment scale to build resilient water systems.
The UAE water delegation also organized AI-focused sessions, discussing the connection between AI, water, and energy with leaders from the private sector and financial institutions. At Goals House, discussions with leaders from Microsoft, 500 Global, and Xatoms highlighted the importance of innovation and responsible resource management.
Furthermore, the UAE delegation engaged in various events, including a fireside chat with Ian Bremmer at the Clinton Global Initiative's Annual Meeting and discussions at the UAE Permanent Mission to the UN on AI applications in water management.
Engagements across UNGA81 and New York Climate Week underscored that the future of water management will involve collaboration between technology companies, investors, humanitarian organizations, researchers, and cultural platforms. Registration for the 2026 UN Water Conference's Oasis in Abu Dhabi is now open and free, inviting global participation to translate ambition into action.