The UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) has published a summary of a one-day stakeholder meeting that convened in conjunction with the High-Level Preparatory Meeting for the 2026 UN Water Conference in Dakar, Senegal. The report outlines key messages and emerging priority recommendations, and updates on the next phase of preparations for the 2026 UN Water Conference, including efforts to ensure consistency and coherence across stakeholder inputs.
Themed, ‘Enhancing Action Through Collaboration,’ the report notes that in bringing together more than 250 participants from over 150 organizations, the meeting underscored the central role of inclusive, multi-stakeholder engagement in advancing the global water agenda.
In her opening remarks, UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on Water Retno Marsudi underscored that stakeholder engagement is a core component of shaping the 2026 UN Water Conference and that “inclusivity must be reflected not only in participation, but also in outcomes, follow-up, and implementation.”
Panel discussions focused on: strengthening participation through action points and collaboration for an inclusive 2026 UN Water Conference; and critical issues and innovative approaches to accelerate progress on SDG 6 (clean water and sanitation) between 2023 and 2026.
Six breakout group sessions advanced discussions on the themes of the six Interactive Dialogues to be held during the 2026 UN Water Conference:
- Water for people: the human rights to water and sanitation, including for those in vulnerable situations, for healthy societies and economies;
- Water for prosperity: valuing water, water-energy-food nexus, advancing integrated and sustainable water resource management, wastewater and water-use efficiency across sectors, and economic and social development;
- Water for planet: climate, biodiversity, desertification, environment, source to sea, resilience, and disaster risk reduction (DRR);
- Water for cooperation: transboundary and international water cooperation, including scientific cooperation and inclusive governance;
- Water in multilateral processes: SDG 6 (clean water and sanitation), the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and beyond, and global water initiatives; and
- Investments for water: financing, technology and innovation, and capacity building.
The discussions were supported by stakeholder think pieces on each of the themes.
Among the guiding principles that emerged from these discussions, the report highlights:
- Water as a cross-cutting enabler of sustainable development;
- The need for a human rights-based approach to guide all water-related policies;
- Water as an opportunity to break silos between frameworks and conventions; and
- The need to move from commitments to action and transform words into action through strengthened governance and institutionalization.
The report calls for, inter alia: efforts to actively promote the meaningful inclusion of Indigenous Peoples, youth, workers, and marginalized communities; and participation processes to be meaningful and adequately resourced.
In critical reflections, the report highlights persisting participation gaps, tensions between economic interests and rights-based approaches, and water dialogues risking insularity. Going forward, it recommends maintaining momentum through continuous engagement between UN Water Conferences, expanding coalitions and bridge building, and keeping work people-centered and purposeful.
Convened by DESA in collaboration with the co-hosts of the 2026 UN Water Conference – Senegal and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) – with support from the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on Water, the stakeholder meeting took place on 25 January 2026. It was organized in partnership with the African Civil Society Network on Water and Sanitation (ANEW) and the German WASH Network. [Publication: Enhancing Action Through Collaboration: Stakeholder Meeting Summary Report] [Enhancing Action Through Collaboration: One-Day Stakeholder Meeting, in Connection with the High-level Preparatory Meeting for the 2026 United Nations Water Conference]