2026 UN Water Conference

The 2026 UN Water Conference to Accelerate the Implementation of SDG 6 will focus on actions to accelerate SDG 6 achievement and reaffirm internationally agreed water-related goals and targets, including those in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Conference will result in an outcome document, focusing on areas of accelerated and collective action to support SDG 6 (clean water and sanitation).

The Governments of Senegal and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will host the Conference. The event will bring together governments, the UN system, intergovernmental bodies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), civil society organizations (CSOs), Indigenous Peoples and local communities, academia, the private sector, and other stakeholders.

The Conference will consider challenges to achieving SDG 6 as well as opportunities and innovative ways and means to support SDG 6 implementation and accelerate progress. Participants will exchange views and develop initiatives and actions to accelerate SDG 6 progress, including cooperation at all relevant levels to enhance means of implementation and partnerships. The Conference will consider gender perspectives and empowerment of women and girls in ensuring safe drinking water and sanitation for all.

The Conference will also offer an opportunity to share best practices in accelerating SDG implementation and invite Member States and other stakeholders to announce voluntary commitments in support of the Conference objectives. The Conference outcome document will serve as an input to the UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF).

The Conference will be preceded by regional and global preparatory meetings. A one-day organizational session will convene in New York, US, in 2025 to propose and adopt recommendations to the UN General Assembly (UNGA) on the theme of the Conference’s six interactive dialogues. In addition, the Government of Senegal will host a high-level international meeting in Dakar, Senegal, in 2025, to review the progress and gaps in SDG 6 implementation and support the Conference’s preparation.

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