The 2026 United Nations Water Conference will be held at the ADNEC Exhibition Centre in Abu Dhabi from 8 to 10 December. The conference is convened by the United Nations and co-hosted by the United Arab Emirates and Senegal. UN Water has confirmed the revised dates, which moved from an earlier plan of 2 to 4 December.
The conference is the second dedicated UN water conference of the decade, following the 2023 meeting in New York, and reviews progress on the water related goals of the 2030 Agenda. Heads of state and government, water and environment ministers, development banks, utilities and the private sector attend, alongside interactive dialogues on water scarcity, sanitation, finance, data and climate resilience.
The event matters to executives because water infrastructure, desalination, treatment and reuse are among the largest capital programmes in the Gulf and in the markets its companies serve. Utilities, engineering contractors, technology suppliers and financiers use the conference to position for the investment commitments and partnerships that are typically announced at it, and the UAE hosting follows its role as COP28 host in 2023.
Participation is through UN accreditation and national delegations. The programme and registration details are published on the UN Water site.
