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Against a backdrop of growing global focus on artificial intelligence (AI), the UAE water delegation organized a series of sessions on how AI, water, and energy connect, bringing the conversation to private sector leaders, innovators, banks, financial institutions, investors, and youth.

Read the full press release.

Read below for major highlights from New York, where water was front and centre of the conversation.

For further updates, follow along on X here .

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Bringing together NYU Abu Dhabi, Masdar’s Youth4Sustainability and the UAE’s 2026 UN Water Conference, the conversation provided a space for fresh perspectives on the challenges and opportunities that will shape our shared future.

Thank you to NYU Abu Dhabi and Masdar’s Youth4Sustainability for the opportunity, and a special thank you to the inspiring students who contributed their ideas. We hope students from across the world will continue to help us shape the future of water as we look ahead to December and beyond.

Moderated by CNBC’s Tania Bryer, the discussion featured Shaima Gargash, Director of Energy & Sustainability at the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, alongside Alice Ashpitel, Head of Sustainability at the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula 1 Team, and Pops Mensah-Bonsu, former NBA player and Adapt2Win Champion.

The conversation focused on how storytelling, public platforms, fan bases, and cultural institutions can bring the importance of water to wider public audiences, creating opportunities to collaborate on solutions and new ideas. Participants explored how storytellers, athletes, and artists can build understanding, inspire engagement and forge partnerships to advance water resilience and SDG6.

“We want to break silos and think out of the box about innovative solutions, and we need everyone to help us design the future.” – Shaima Gargash, Director of Energy & Sustainability at UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs

At “Water as a Strategic Imperative: From Global Challenges to Collective Action”, HE Abdulla Balalaa called for greater political momentum, cross-sectoral collaboration, and sharper roadmaps and commitments for Member States — as well as public and private sector stakeholders to be able to implement and scale actionable solutions by the Conference.

The session brought together several Member States and international organisations from - the African Union Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment; the Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC); the Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of UNESCWA; and the Managing Director of Operations at the World Bank - and was moderated by Foreign Policy’s Susan Sadigova.

“Success of the Conference should not be judged on the 10th of December, but by whether money and action follow in the months and years afterwards” – HE Balalaa

The World Bank also highlighted its Water Forward initiative , a global coalition designed to make water security a driver of jobs, economic growth, and resilience. Announced earlier this spring, Water Forward aspires to improve water security for up to 1 billion people by 2030, bringing governments, development banks, private capital, and other partners together around country-led Water Compacts to align policy reform, institutional strengthening, and investment - and move from fragmented projects to scalable, investable water solutions.

The meeting focused on strengthening U.S.–UAE collaboration to drive large-scale private sector investment and innovation in water security solutions.

Participants also explored the challenges of attracting long-term institutional capital, including pension and sovereign wealth funds, to the water sector. A key focus was moving beyond concessional financing to develop commercially viable projects that deliver the reliable returns these investors need.

This year marks the 81st UN General Assembly (UNGA), a critical milestone ahead of the 2026 UN Water Conference.

But first, what is the UN General Assembly? 🌍🔹 Every year, UNGA brings together all 193 UN Member States in New York to take stock on the world’s most pressing challenges and to discuss, debate, and advance cooperation across sustainable development, economic growth, peace and security, human rights, and education.

🔹 Around the formal UNGA programme, New York becomes a global hub for leaders from government, business, civil society, academia, young advocates, the financial community, and philanthropy, creating opportunities to build partnerships, exchange ideas, and accelerate action.

🔹 This year, water is at the forefront of high-level discussion across New York as private sector leaders, investors, philanthropists, governments and Member States, civil society organisations, and youth advocates discuss how interconnected water is to food security, digital infrastructure, energy transformation, multilateral cooperation, and economic growth.

Momentum is building for the 2026 UN Water Conference as public and private sector stakeholders alike are exploring new collaborations and opportunities to shape a new future for water action.

Snapshots below are from key moments in New York this week so far.

The session brought together leaders across government, technology, finance, and water stewardship to examine how AI can become a force for water resiliency, while ensuring the infrastructure powering the digital expansion is responsibly considered.

“Let me start with saying that water is life. It is the invisible system that drives economic opportunity, growth, and every sector, from energy to agriculture to technology - HE Abdulla Balalaa

The convening was chaired by Sir Andrew Steer of the London School of Economics, and HE Balalaa was joined in conversation by Microsoft’s Chief Sustainability Officer, Melanie Nakagawa; 500 Global’s Managing Partner of Sustainable Growth, Dr. Alaa Murabit; and Xatoms’ Founder and CEO, Diana Virgovicova.

Goals House is held annually on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly and New York Climate Week programme, bringing together thousands of political leaders, activists, academics, philanthropists, NGOs, and entrepreneurs for action-oriented conversations.

Co-Hosted by HE Abdulla Balalaa and HE Badr Jafar, UAE Special Envoy for Business and Philanthropy, the private roundtable explored how to close the water investment gap, and how partnerships can turn promising projects into investable opportunities.

Discussants highlighted the role of long-term guarantees, innovative technologies, and catalytic investment, and project-development pipelines that can help scale water infrastructure solutions across global markets.

“The AI revolution, the energy transition, food security and urban growth are all water stories. We cannot strengthen food systems, expand industrial capacity, nor build resilient cities without critical water infrastructure.” - HE Abdulla Balalaa

“The solutions exist. What is missing is the preparation, the risk allocation and the patient capital that turn a good idea into a financeable project. That is where business, investors and strategic philanthropy can each do what governments cannot do alone, and why the UAE is bringing them into one room.” - HE Badr Jafar

The global water sector faces a significant financing gap, with investment in infrastructure and solutions falling far short of what is needed to meet growing demand and strengthen water security.

At the private sector roundtable, UAE stakeholders also highlighted a recent commitment by First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) - setting a AED 100 billion (US$27.2 billion) blue-finance target and becoming the first MENA bank to sign the UN Sustainable Blue Economy Finance Principles.

The FAB announcement is a powerful example of how finance can help move water from a global challenge to an investable priority.

Eurasia Group’s Ian Bremmer and HE Balalaa discussed the scale of the water investment challenge - and the need for governments, development institutions, investors, and the private sector to work together to mobilise long-term capital and innovation needed to build a more resilient future for water and all interrelated industries.

HE Balalaa set out the scale of the issue: 2.1 billion people without safe sanitation, 3.4 billion in water-scarce conditions, and 700 million at risk of displacement. The financing gap reaches $6.7 trillion by 2030, yet over 90% of developing-world water spending is public money.

His fix: governments provide the regulation, MDBs provide de-risking mechanisms, and private capital follows - and technology transforms.

The “Who Leads Now?” session also included Mia Mottley, the Prime Minister of Barbados, Alex Soros of the Open Society Foundation, and Governor JB Pritzker of Illinois.

CGI’s Annual Meeting brings together leaders from government, business, philanthropy, and civil society to accelerate action across the world’s most pressing challenges.

The Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award (HIPA) opened a special contest calling for visually compelling and inspiring photojournalism that highlights people, communities, challenges, and solutions connected to water.

Applications are open to all with $23,000 in total prizes for winners. Held in collaboration with the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the winning photographs will be featured at the 2026 UN Water Conference this December.

Submissions for HIPA’s global photography contest are open until 16 October 2026.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE CONTEST

In the desert, an oasis is where water creates life. At the 2026 UN Water Conference, The Oasis is where water brings people, innovations, ideas, and solutions together to create a better future for all.

The Oasis, the UAE-hosted zone at the Conference, is open to all and will host all exhibitions and pavilions, combined with three full days of dynamic programming bringing together everyone from government to the private sector to next generation leaders.

An estimated $6.7 trillion funding gap currently exists for water needs, with the vast majority of financing driven by the public sector. During his conversation with CNN, HE Balalaa examined this opportunity for private sector institutions and partnerships to address this gap and drive impact.

Abu Dhabi's Department of Energy is harnessing AI to process live and historical data to optimise water systems, from innovative leak detection to advanced consumption forecasting, which we saw in their AD.WE platform. This can save up to 160 million cubic metres of water each year.

In Dubai, Hydro Insight is analysing data from more than one million smart water meters every 15 minutes to reduce anomalies and leak detection time from 30 days to just one hour.

Stay tuned to see how the 2026 UN Water Conference places water and AI at the front of the conversation, and presents the opportunity to ask how we can future-proof the infrastructure that powers AI.

If you're attending UNGA and want to connect ahead of the UN Water Conference, reach out to us here, or follow us on X for updates.

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These Principles are a global UN initiative that guide financial institutions on lending and investing in water and ocean-related industries.

FAB also established an AED 100 billion (USD $27.2 billion) blue finance target that will drive water security initiatives and marine economy projects.

FAB also established an AED $100 billion (USD $27.2 billion) blue finance target that will go towards water security initiatives and marine economy projects, spanning 2026-2035, and aligns with the UAE Water Security Strategy 2036 ahead of the 2026 UN Water Conference.

To find a solution, better coordination of water is needed across states, sectors, and institutions. In this series, our three guest speakers examine where we’re currently falling short, and how we can work to better align water’s own political importance to the multilateral process, especially in the lead up to the 2026 UN Water Conference.

You can watch the latest episode ‘Water in Multilateral Processes’ here on Youtube, and let us know what you would like to learn more about in the comments

Currently, the overwhelming majority of expenditure towards water projects comes from public sources, and growing global demand presents huge opportunities for the private sector to bridge the gap.

For some countries, this is not just a case of unlocking capital, but also building out capacity in more innovative and efficient ways.

The Oasis at the 2026 UN Water Conference will be the place for investors, private sector leaders, and the financial community to connect with innovators, policy leaders, and enabling partners to collectively translate ambition to action across water.

“Water is the invisible thread of the economy. You may not always see it on a balance sheet, but water underpins every aspect of development and economic activity.”

Registration for the UAE-led zone is now open! Click here to join us in December, or register below.

Each year, world leaders gather at UNGA to help form decisions that shape international laws and climate targets, and to set the stage and tackle big challenges, like sourcing clean water at scale and solving other humanitarian needs (SDG 6).

Will we see you at New York Climate Week and the UN General Assembly? Get in touch here, or you can follow the conversation on X for live updates from New York

HE Balalaa led a UAE delegation to join leaders from financial and business sectors, researchers, and policy makers, to examine how solutions can be accelerated through meaningful investment and innovation, and build more cooperation between organisations and states.

At the heart of the discussion was the shared mission to drive innovation for water access and sustainability through better policy and governance. Ahead of her panel, Shaima Gargash, Director of Energy and Sustainability Affairs at the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, explained how World Water Week is building towards Abu Dhabi, and why engagement needs to start now. Listen to commentary here.

But the ingenuity of the falaj was not only in how water moved. The word means “to share fairly”, reflecting a system built around a shared commitment to manage water together.

Today, that same spirit of stewardship and ingenuity continues to guide our approach to water, innovating daily, and exploring new ways to manage, use, and reuse it.

Pretoria, South Africa

The Embassy of the UAE in South Africa convened a consultative meeting for members of the Diplomatic Corps in Pretoria in preparation for the 2026 UN Water Conference.

Tokyo, Japan

HE Abdulla Balalaa led the UAE delegation to Japan to participate in commemorative engagements marking the 50th anniversary of the country's national Water Day and Water Week.

Led by the UAE, The Oasis will bring together innovators, investors, thought leaders, policymakers, experts from across sectors, and the brightest young minds for three days of dynamic programming, immersive exhibitions, and pavilions.

The Oasis will run alongside the United Nations-accredited Blue Zone, which features the official 2026 UN Water Conference agenda including the six Interactive Dialogues and plenaries and side events organised by Member States and accredited stakeholders.

Join us in Abu Dhabi to build the future of water.

Yet billions of people still live without the basics: 2.1 billion without safely managed drinking water, and 3.4 billion without safely managed sanitation.

The 2026 UN Water Conference in Abu Dhabi is a pivotal moment for the world to come together on water. Co-Hosted by the UAE and Senegal, it is only the third UN Water Conference in fifty years. This is our opportunity to turn shared ambition into action that improves lives, restores ecosystems, and accelerates access to clean water and sanitation for all.

Are you going to be at one of these upcoming events? Get in touch.

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