The Ministry of Foreign Affairs placed water at the forefront of its priorities at this year’s London Climate Action Week (LCAW), as part of the UAE’s preparations to host the 2026 UN Water Conference in Abu Dhabi from 8-10 December 2026 alongside the Republic of Senegal. Water represents a fundamental pillar of cities’ prosperity, growth and resilience. As urban cities face mounting challenges due to water stress, flooding and rising demand for water resources, public and private sector leaders are increasingly considering how water systems and the water economy can strengthen the resilience of communities and strengthen sustainable economies. Against this backdrop, Abdulla Balalaa, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Energy and Sustainability, convened a number of meetings and high-level events on the sidelines of LCAW, bringing together government officials, representatives of multilateral organizations, private sector leaders, and youth voices from around the world, to accelerate practical, scalable action on water resilience. As part of a broader programme of engagements across LCAW, the UAE worked with partners to mobilise investment, strengthen partnerships, and drive the implementation of initiatives and events in support of Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6) on Clean Water and Sanitation. These efforts contribute to building global momentum towards the 2026 UN Water Conference. The UAE’s participation at LCAW also included a high-level, closed-door discussion panel hosted at Goals House in London, which brought together senior officials and decision-makers across public policy, infrastructure, technology and finance to advance solutions for urban water resilience. The discussions focused on how to embed water into the systems that shape how cities are planned, financed and governed. During the roundtable, Balalaa said, “Water has long been underprioritised, yet it underpins every aspect of our cities’ prosperity, growth, and resilience. Treating it as anything less than essential infrastructure is at the core of the challenge we must now address. The barrier is not a lack of ambition, but how we deliver solutions at scale by embedding water into the planning, investment, and governance systems that shape our cities.” The Goals House gathering formed part of a wider set of high-level engagements led by Balalaa across the week, spanning water, energy and sustainability. This included participation in the World Economic Forum (WEF) programming, engagement with the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF), and contributions to wider UAE-led energy and sustainability discussions, including those connected to Masdar’s global clean energy and climate programmes. Balalaa participated in an event co-organised with CIFF, titled ‘Too much, Too Little: Water in a Warming World’, which focused on empowering and inspiring youth leaders. Discussions focused on the growing challenges of water scarcity and flooding, bringing together leaders across philanthropy, public policy and youth voices to highlight the need for more inclusive, cooperative approaches to delivering practical water resilience solutions. Speaking at the event before a group of young leaders, he said, “As we prepare to host the 2026 UN Water Conference, we face a pivotal moment to move from ambition to implementation. We must recognise water as core infrastructure, unlock practical pathways to finance water resilience projects at scale, and strengthen partnerships across various cities and sectors to accelerate delivery.” Discussions on water during LCAW focused on how to move from pledges to delivery, emphasizing the need to recognise water as essential urban infrastructure, strengthen the financing and delivery of water resilience projects at city scale, and enhance cooperation among all relevant stakeholders. Participants emphasised that while solutions already exist, progress now dep
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