H.E. Abdulla Balalaa in Arabian Business: investing in water is investing in economic resilience
Opinion piece by H.E. Abdulla Balalaa, published in Arabian Business on 30 October 2026.
H.E. Abdulla Balalaa, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Energy and Sustainability and UAE Co-Chair of the 2026 UN Water Conference, has written in Arabian Business on why sustained investment in water security unlocks growth, attracts private capital and prepares economies for mounting pressure on resources.
The piece starts from the UAE’s own story. In a country where freshwater is scarce, H.E. Balalaa writes, water has been treated as a challenge that demands foresight, innovation and sustained investment rather than a fixed limit. More than 70 desalination plants now supply around 40 per cent of the country’s drinking water, and water reuse in Abu Dhabi and Dubai has passed 90 per cent, ahead of the 2036 national target.
“Water security is no longer just an environmental or infrastructure concern.” — H.E. Abdulla Balalaa
Water as a factor in competitiveness
Water scarcity, the article argues, increasingly decides where businesses invest and industries grow, and it shapes AI infrastructure, energy systems and food supply chains. Governments and businesses therefore need to build water security into investment decisions before scarcity constrains growth.
The investment case is set out in figures: the World Bank estimates that developing countries need an additional $131.4 to $140.8 billion a year to reach universal access to water and sanitation, yet less than two per cent of current water spending in those economies comes from private capital, while water reuse could unlock up to $340 billion of investment by 2040. Clear regulation, credible project pipelines and smart risk-sharing are what will close that gap.
An invitation to Abu Dhabi
H.E. Balalaa points to the 2026 UN Water Conference, co-hosted by the UAE and Senegal in Abu Dhabi from 8 to 10 December, the first co-hosted by two nations from the Global South, as the place for governments and businesses to move from commitments to delivery on SDG 6.
He invites business leaders, investors, financial institutions and innovators to join the Conference and The Oasis, the UAE-led zone that is free and open to all, to connect people, capital and technologies and turn proven solutions into investable projects.
Coverage and further reading
- Arabian Business: “Investing in water is investing in economic resilience” (30 October 2026), the full article
- H.E. Abdulla Balalaa: “Every Energy Decision is a Water Decision”
- H.E. Abdulla Balalaa in The National: the global water conversation is changing
- The Oasis: free and open to all, 8–10 December 2026