Participants at the Fourth High-Level International Conference on the Water Action Decade reaffirmed water as a priority on the international agenda, calling for a high level of ambition at the 2026 UN Water Conference and the 2028 UN Water Conference. Part of the Dushanbe Water Process, the conference brought together world leaders, representatives of the UN and other organizations, and major groups and stakeholders to showcase scalable solutions, forge new partnerships, and take stock of progress on the Water Action Agenda.
The Water Action Agenda comprises more than 800 voluntary commitments made at the 2023 UN Water Conference.
In his opening statement, President of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Lok Bahadur Thapa highlighted water as “a cross-cutting issue that connects major international processes and agreements.” He identified the following five priorities:
- Accelerate implementation of SDG 6 (clean water and sanitation) through integrated and inclusive approaches;
- Strengthen coherence among water, climate, biodiversity, and disaster risk reduction (DRR) processes;
- Scale up financing, technology transfer, and capacity building;
- Strengthen resilience in mountain regions and protect glaciers; and
- Continue to ground policies and actions in science, innovation, and inclusive partnerships.
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The Fourth High-Level International Conference on the Water Action Decade, held from 25-28 May 2026 in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, resulted in a declaration, reiterating participants’ determination to promote engagement on water-related issues in upcoming high-level meetings. These include the 2026 UN Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC COP 31), the 2026 UN Biodiversity Conference (CBD COP 17), and the 17th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 17) to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), as well as UN Special Thematic Sessions on Water and Disasters, the 2027 SDG Summit, the Ninth Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in 2028, the 2028 High-level Review of the Pact for the Future, and the 11th World Water Forum in 2027.
The Dushanbe Declaration further proposes that the Co-Hosts of the 2026 UN Water Conference and 2028 UN Water Conference present the results and voluntary commitments from each conference as an input to the UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF).
The declaration formulates key messages for decision makers and stakeholders, including:
- Prioritize water-related actions to promote sustainable development and reduce inequalities;
- Ensure meaningful and inclusive participation to achieve impactful water and sanitation outcomes;
- Translate national commitments into concrete action at all relevant levels;
- Address gaps in technology, knowledge, data, and scientific cooperation to help bridge the science-policy interface; and
- Enhance international cooperation, including at the global, regional, and subregional levels.
The Co-Chairs of the conference – UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs Li Junhua and Prime Minister of Tajikistan Kohir Rasulzoda – will prepare a Co-Chairs’ summary. The summary, along with the contribution of the Dushanbe Water Process, will be presented at the 2026 UN Water Conference.
The 2026 UN Water Conference will take place in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE), from 8-10 December 2026. It will be co-hosted by Senegal and the UAE. [Dushanbe Water Process] [SDG Knowledge Hub Sources]