The UN General Assembly (UNGA) has set the modalities for the 2028 UN Water Conference, which will take place in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, from 4-6 May 2028. It decided that the Conference shall adopt by consensus the ‘Dushanbe Water Framework’ – a non-binding pre-negotiated outcome document, which will serve as the basis for advancing water action.
The resolution (A/80/L.113), introduced by Burundi, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan and adopted by consensus, stipulates that the 2028 UN Water Conference will take stock of the progress catalyzed by the International Decade for Action, ‘Water for Sustainable Development,’ 2018-2028 and promote the implementation of water-related actions.
By the text, a one-day high-level meeting will be held at UN Headquarters in New York, US, in 2027 to support preparations for the Conference. Regional and global preparatory meetings will also take place.
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The Conference will feature eight plenary meetings and six interactive dialogues. According to the resolution, it will:
- Assess the progress made in the implementation of the objectives of the International Decade;
- Identify possible challenges and obstacles;
- Support further actions and initiatives, enhance means of implementation, and strengthen partnerships and cooperation at all levels;
- Share ongoing efforts, best practices, and implementation experiences;
- Involve all relevant stakeholders; and
- Contribute to the follow-up and review process of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by providing an input to the UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF).
Annexed to the text of the resolution are the provisional agenda for the 2028 UN Water Conference, proposed organization of work, and provisional rules of procedure.
Speaking after the resolution’s adoption, India’s representative dissociated herself from the paragraph calling on the Conference to adopt by consensus a non-binding outcome document negotiated at the intergovernmental level. “The success of this Conference will not be measured by the length of the outcome document or the number of processes created, but by the acceleration of results,” she said.
Mexico, supported by Germany, emphasized the need to allow the 2026 UN Water Conference in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in December “to produce its own outcome and, on that basis, build the process that will lead us to 2028.”
The EU also underscored the importance of the 2028 Conference building on the outcomes of the 2026 Conference, with the UK expressing “concern that predetermining the title and framework of the 2028 Conference could prejudge the outcome of the 2026 Conference, as well as the post-2030 agenda.”
The arrangements for non-governmental organization (NGO) participation in the 2028 Conference also generated discussion, with some UN Member States lamenting that the resolution does not provide sufficient information in this regard and others welcoming the provision entrusting the UNGA with the final decision on stakeholder participation.
The UNGA adopted the resolution, ‘Modalities of the 2028 United Nations Conference on the Final Comprehensive Review of the Implementation of the Objectives of the International Decade for Action, ‘Water for Sustainable Development,’ 2018-2028’ without a vote on 2 September 2026. [UN Meetings Coverage]