2026 UN Water Conference Stakeholders
Fri 18 Apr 2025, 5.09 pm
General
In accordance with paragraph 4g of A/RES/78/327, the 2026 United Nations Water Conference to Accelerate the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 6: Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all, should involve all relevant stakeholders, bringing together Governments, the United Nations system, intergovernmental organizations, international financial institutions, other interested international bodies, non-governmental organizations, civil society organizations, academic institutions, the scientific community, Indigenous Peoples and local communities, the private sector, philanthropic organizations and other actors to assess challenges and opportunities relating to, as well as support further action to accelerate the implementation of, Sustainable Development Goal 6 and the water-related goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda;
Participation of representatives from non-governmental organizations, major groups and other relevant stakeholders at the 2026 UN Water Conference is guided by A/RES/78/327.
Opportunities for stakeholder’s participation in the preparations for and during the 2026 UN Water Conference will be posted on this webpage.
Stakeholders Participation
Participation of representatives from non-governmental organizations, major groups and other relevant stakeholders at the 2026 UN Water Conference is guided by A/RES/78/327.
Accredited Organizations
Organizations that fall under the following categories will be able to request registration to attend the 2026 UN Water Conference and its preparatory meeting:
Non-governmental organizations and major groups identified in Agenda 21 and other stakeholders in consultative status with ECOSOC. You can check if your organization has consultative status with ECOSOC here.
Organizations that were accredited to any of the following previous United Nations’ conferences (check the consolidated list here):
World Summit on Sustainable Development
the United Nations Conference on the Midterm Comprehensive Review of the Implementation of the Objectives of the International Decade for Action, “Water for Sustainable Development”, 2018–2028,
the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development
- the intergovernmental conference on an international legally binding instrument under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction,
the United Nations Conference on Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks
the Review Conference on the Agreement for the Implementation of the Provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of 10 December 1982 relating to the Conservation and Management of Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks,
the international meeting entitled “Stockholm+50: a healthy planet for the prosperity of all – our responsibility, our opportunity”.
the 2017 and 2022 United Nations Conferences to Support the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development and
- United Nations conferences on the sustainable development of small island developing States (SIDS):
- Global Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States, 26 April-6 May 1994, Bridgetown, Barbados;
- International Meeting to Review the Implementation of the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States, 10-14 January 2005, Port Louis, Mauritius; and/or
- Third International Conference on Small Island Developing States, 1-4 September 2014, Apia, Samoa.
- 4th International Conference on Small Island Developing States, 27 – 30 May 2024, St. John’s, Antigua and Barbuda
Special Accreditation for Non-Governmental Organizations and Other Stakeholders
As guided by resolution A/RES/78/327other relevant non-governmental organizations, including civil society organizations, academic institutions, the scientific community, the private sector and philanthropic organizations whose work is relevant to the Conference and are not in consultative status with ECOSOC or accredited to the previous United Nations Conferences mentioned above, must receive special accreditation in order to participate in the Conference and the preparatory meeting as observers.
First Round of Special Accreditation - CLOSED on 21st March 2025
Applications are currently being reviewed on the basis of their background and involvement in the implementation and follow up of SDG 6. The President of the General Assembly will draw up the list of recommended organizations and submit it to Member States for their consideration on a non-objection basis. Approved organizations will be notified by the Secretariat after Member States review.
Once an organization or entity receives special accreditation, it will be able to register representatives to participate at the 2026 UN Water Conference and its preparatory meeting - when registration for those events opens for this category of participants.
A second round of special accreditation will be conducted in early 2026.
Webinar
Background
The high-level 2026 United Nations Water Conference to Accelerate the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 6: Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all will be held in the United Arab Emirates from 2–4 December 2026, co-hosted by Senegal and the United Arab Emirates.
The 2026 UN Water Conference will be comprised of plenary sessions and six interactive dialogues (A/RES/78/327). The Conference secretariat, UN-DESA, will prepare a background note on potential themes of the interactive dialogues, based on the inputs of Member States, the UN system, and a wide range of other stakeholders.
For more background information on the Conference, please see: https://sdgs.un.org/conferences/water2026.
Multi-Stakeholder Informative Webinar on the 2026 UN Water Conference
On 18 March, UNDESA organized a Multi-Stakeholder Informative Webinar to share updated information about the 2026 UN Water Conference with all stakeholders, and to offer an opportunity to build momentum towards the Conference preparations. The Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to the UN and the Deputy Ambassador of the Republic of Senegal to the UN, as co-hosts of the Conference, shared their vision for the Conference. Ms. Retno L.P. Marsudi, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on Water, delivered a video message with a strong call to action for SDG6. The webinar also featured a presentation on stakeholder engagement opportunities, including on awareness-raising and creating space. Participants were informed about the open call for inputs to the 2026 UN Water Conference Global Online Stakeholder Consultation on themes for the Interactive Dialogues, which will remain open until 11 April 2025. A total of 1007 people registered to join the webinar, 862 joined live and it was also livestreamed through the DESA Sustainable Development YouTube. Participants engaged in the discussion by responding to interactive polls throughout the webinar, as shown below.
Sign up here to receive regular updates and information about the 2026 UN Water Conference.
Online Consultation
The Global Online Stakeholder Consultation is now closed. The Secretariat received contributions from 495 stakeholder organizations and will provide key reflections shortly. Please follow this page for updates.
The high-level 2026 United Nations Water Conference to Accelerate the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 6: Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all will be held in the United Arab Emirates from 2–4 December 2026, co-hosted by Senegal and the United Arab Emirates.
The 2026 UN Water Conference will be comprised of plenary sessions and six interactive dialogues (A/RES/78/327). The Conference secretariat, UN-DESA, will prepare a background note on potential themes of the interactive dialogues, based on the inputs of Member States, the UN system, and a wide range of other stakeholders.
Global Online Stakeholder Consultation: Themes of the Interactive Dialogues of the 2026 UN Water Conference
Non-governmental organizations, civil society organizations, academic institutions, the scientific community, Indigenous Peoples and local communities, persons with disabilities, the private sector and philanthropic organizations, and other actors were invited to contribute inputs on the themes for the Interactive Dialogues of the 2026 UN Water Conference through a global online stakeholder consultation.
The deadline for submission was 11 April 2025.
Sign up here to receive regular updates and information about the 2026 UN Water Conference.