UAE Calls On Investors To Help Close $6.7-Trillion Global Water Funding Gap

2026-09-07 02:38:44

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) The UAE is calling for water to be treated as a global economic and investment priority, as the world faces a $6.7 trillion financing gap to meet water infrastructure needs and achieve universal access to safe water and sanitation.

The call comes as the UAE, together with Senegal, prepares to host the 2026 United Nations Water Conference in Abu Dhabi from December 8 to 10, with the focus on turning international commitments into practical projects and scalable solutions.

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Water is no longer simply an environmental or development issue, Abdulla Balalaa, UAE Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Energy and Sustainability, said during a media briefing in Abu Dhabi. He noted water is directly connected to economic growth, food and energy security, public health, jobs, technology, global supply chains and business continuity.

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“Water issues may not always appear as a standalone line item in budgets, but they underpin every aspect of development and economic activity,” Balalaa said.“If we are serious about implementation, we must be equally serious about financing. Investing in water is investing in people.”

2.1 billion people still lack safely managed drinking water

The push comes as the world remains off track to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 6, which calls for clean water and sanitation for all.

Some 2.1 billion people still lack safely managed drinking water, while 3.4 billion do not have safely managed sanitation and 1.7 billion lack basic hygiene services at home.

Women and girls around the world also spend almost 250 million hours every day collecting water time that could otherwise be spent on education, developing skills or participating in the workforce.

Balalaa described water as an“invisible thread” connecting different parts of the economy.

Agriculture alone accounts for 72 per cent of global freshwater withdrawals, while industry, energy production, supply chains and technology all depend on reliable access to water.

AI growth puts greater focus on water

Balalaa said the relationship between water and the economy is becoming even more important with the rapid growth of artificial intelligence.

Data centres, along with the infrastructure and energy systems supporting AI, depend on water, making responsible and efficient water use increasingly relevant to discussions about the future of technology and economic growth.

He said water should therefore be viewed not simply through the lens of scarcity, but as an economic issue, an infrastructure issue, a security issue and increasingly an investment opportunity.

Balalaa said governments alone cannot provide the scale of investment required to build resilient water systems around the world.

Commercial banks, institutional investors, development finance institutions, multilateral development banks, philanthropic organisations and the private sector all need to recognise water as both an economic and investment priority, he said.

The world needs to do much more to close the $6.7 trillion financing gap required to meet water infrastructure demands and achieve SDG 6.

New investment track at UN Water Conference

Investment will therefore be placed at the centre of discussions at the 2026 UN Water Conference through a sixth Interactive Dialogue titled“Investments for Water.”

The dialogue was adopted through consensus among UN member states and, for the first time at a UN Water Conference, will provide a dedicated track focused on mobilising finance, technology, innovation and capacity to deliver progress at scale.

It will join five other Interactive Dialogues: Water for People, Water for Prosperity, Water for Planet, Water for Cooperation and Water in Multilateral Processes.

Together, the six tracks are intended to help move the global water agenda from discussion towards delivery. The investment dialogue will focus on turning ambition into projects and projects into measurable impact.

FAB commits Dh100 billion to blue finance

Balalaa said the UAE is also working to create an environment in which water projects can become more attractive and investable by building stronger project pipelines, developing appropriate financing structures and creating partnerships that can reduce risk and attract capital.

He highlighted First Abu Dhabi Bank's commitment to mobilise Dh100 billion in blue finance, saying it provides an important signal about how financial institutions can incorporate water-related risks and opportunities into mainstream financing and investment decisions.

Balalaa also pointed to the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development's Global Water Platform as an example of how development finance can bring together different sources of capital and turn water needs into investable projects.

UAE turns water scarcity into innovation

As one of the world's most water-scarce countries, the UAE has invested in desalination, water reuse, strategic storage, groundwater management, biosaline agriculture, advanced treatment, artificial intelligence and water-data systems.

Researchers and experts at Khalifa University, NYU Abu Dhabi, UAE University and other institutions are developing technologies aimed at improving desalination, water treatment and reuse.

In Dubai, the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) has committed to producing 100 per cent of the emirate's desalinated water using a clean-energy mix that includes renewable energy by 2030.

The Mohamed bin Zayed Water Initiative is also supporting new solutions through the five-year, $119 million XPRIZE Water Scarcity competition, aimed at making clean water more accessible, affordable and sustainable.

The Al Miyah Challenge is meanwhile bringing together agricultural innovators to develop and test solutions that can improve water-use efficiency in farming.

UAE aims to connect investors with solutions

Balalaa said countries will arrive in Abu Dhabi in December with different experiences, challenges, technologies and ideas.

The UAE's responsibility as co-host, he said, is to bring those perspectives together and highlight the links between water and economic growth, resilience, innovation, investment and human development.

The country also wants to connect those who need solutions with those capable of developing, financing, implementing and scaling them.

Balalaa said the UAE's ambition is for the conference to conclude with stronger partnerships, clearer investment pathways, technologies moving towards implementation and practical commitments that improve people's lives.

The goal is also to ensure that discussions and commitments continue well beyond the three-day event.

Blue Zone and The Oasis

The conference will feature two complementary spaces: the UN-accredited Blue Zone and The Oasis, a UAE-hosted space aimed at expanding participation in the global water conversation.

The Blue Zone will host the official UN programme, including the six Interactive Dialogues, plenary meetings and accredited side events.

The Oasis will be the main space for exhibitions and pavilions and will feature a three-day programme of sessions, events and partner activities designed to connect policy with implementation, investment with opportunities and innovation with solutions.

The Oasis will also host the inaugural Abu Dhabi Water and Power Week, led by the Abu Dhabi Department of Energy, with this year's programme focused on the water sector.

Third UN Water Conference since 1977

The 2026 UN Water Conference will take place at ADNEC in Abu Dhabi from December 8 to 10, co-hosted by the UAE and Senegal.

The event aims to accelerate implementation of SDG 6, which seeks to ensure the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all by 2030.

It will be only the third UN Water Conference since 1977, the first led by two countries from the Global South and the first UN conference dedicated specifically to SDG 6.

Thousands of participants are expected over the three days, including representatives from governments, the business and financial communities, multilateral organisations, civil society, academia and the innovation sector.

Balalaa also called on the media to bring water into mainstream conversations and connect it to issues that directly matter to audiences from jobs and economic growth to technology, food, energy, health, climate and investment.

UAE Calls On Investors To Help Close $6.7-Trillion Global Water Funding Gap

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