2026 UN Water Conference Stakeholders
Sat 24 Jan 2026, 12.31 am
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 - Updated on 19 January 2026):
- 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.
Second Round of Special Accreditation - Coming soon!
The Second round of special accreditation for non-governmental organizations and other stakeholders will open on 9 February and will close on 31 March 2026. Once available, details will be published on this page.
IF YOUR ORGANIZATION IS NOT LISTED ON BOTH LINKS ABOVE, YOU MUST APPLY FOR SPECIAL ACCREDITATION IN ORDER TO REGISTER PARTICIPANTS TO ATTEND THE 2026 UN WATER CONFERENCE.
Prepare for the Special Accreditation Process:
The second round of special accreditation for the 2026 UN Water Conference will be conducted on the Civil Society Platform. For specific step-by-step instructions on how to create your organization’s account and to apply for Special Accreditation, please refer to this link.
To obtain ad-hoc special accreditation, organizations must meet specific criteria and submit the following required documents:
- Proof of Legal Status
A document issued by a federal/national government demonstrating proof of legal status in your organization’s headquarters’ country.
Example of proof of legal status:
- Proof of incorporation
- 501 (c)(3) filing status (US entities)
- Certificate of registry
Note: If your legal document is in a language other than English or French, please include an official English translation along with the document in a single PDF file.
- Constitution/By Laws of the organization (if applicable)
- Expression of Interest Letter
A letter on official letterhead signed by the Head of the Organization requesting special accreditation for the conference. Please find a sample here: https://sdgs.un.org/documents/template-expression-interest-letter-special-accreditation-60722.
- Activities Report
A list of recent activities that your organization has undertaken, aligned to the conference theme.
If you have any questions about creating your organization account or filling out conference applications, please contact us at dgc-cso-portal@un.org.
First Round of Special Accreditation - CLOSED - Final List now published
The President of the General Assembly has drawn up the list of recommended organizations and submitted it to Member States for their consideration on a non-objection basis.
- Check the list of approved organizations (1st Round) here.
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.
Webinars
Multi-stakeholder Briefing on the Dakar High-level Preparatory Meeting and the One-Day Stakeholder Meeting for the 2026 United Nations Water Conference
20 January 2026, 9:00 - 10:00AM (EST)
On Tuesday, 20 January 2026, from 9:00 – 10:00 AM (EST), a multi-stakeholder informative briefing was held to provide updates on the programme and logistics for the Dakar High-level Preparatory Meeting and the One-Day Stakeholder Meeting for the 2026 UN Water Conference. The briefing offered an opportunity for stakeholders to build momentum in preparation for these meetings. More information is available here: https://bit.ly/20JanuaryBriefingDakar.
Multi-Stakeholder Informative Webinar on the 2026 UN Water Conference, 15 March 2025
On 18 March 2025, 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.
Online Consultations
Second Global Online Stakeholder Consultation: Inputs For The Interactive Dialogues Concept Papers - CLOSED
Working closely with UN-Water, the Secretariat is preparing concept papers for each of the Interactive Dialogues of the 2026 UN Water Conference. Member States are currently being consulted to provide their inputs.
In parallel, to ensure meaningful and substantive engagement of stakeholders in preparation for 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 their views, comments and inputs on the Concept Papers of the Interactive Dialogues through a second global online consultation. Contributions may have included relevant, up-to-date data, analysis, and good practices related to advancing the implementation of SDG 6 and its targets, as well as interlinkages with other SDGs and the SDG 6 Global Acceleration Framework (financing, data and information, capacity development, innovation, and governance).
The online consultation also served to promote broad and participatory engagement for the 2026 UN Water Conference. It complements and feeds into other on-going processes for stakeholder participation.
The deadline for contributions was 17 October 2025. A summary report and key messages document will be made available soon.
Learn more here: https://sdgs.un.org/basic-page/2026-un-water-conference-second-global-online-stakeholder-consultation-inputs
READ THE SUMMARY REPORT HERE
Summary Report: 2026 UN Water Conference Global Online Stakeholder Consultation: Themes of the Interactive Dialogues
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. They were asked to indicate which Interactive Dialogue themes from the UN 2023 Water Conference remain relevant, propose amendments to the existing themes or revised titles, suggest additional themes, and share a message to world leaders.
Preparatory Meetings
Enhancing Action through Collaboration: One-Day Stakeholder Meeting, in connection with the High-level Preparatory Meeting for the 2026 United Nations Water Conference
The General Assembly, in its resolution 78/327, decided to convene the 2026 United Nations Water Conference, co-hosted by the Republic of Senegal and the United Arab Emirates, from 2 to 4 December 2026 in the United Arab Emirates.
The Conference will consider challenges to achieving SDG 6 as well as opportunities and innovative ways to support its implementation and accelerate progress. Participants will exchange views, identify actions and develop initiatives to advance SDG 6, including cooperation at all relevant levels to enhance means of implementation and partnerships. The Conference will also mainstream gender perspectives and empowerment of women and girls in ensuring safe drinking water and sanitation for all.
To support the effective preparation of the 2026 UN Water Conference, the UN General Assembly welcomed the generous offer of Senegal to convene a high-level international meeting in Dakar (78/327, para. 17). The High-level Preparatory Meeting for the 2026 UN Water Conference (Dakar High-Level Meeting) will be held in Dakar from 26 to 27 January 2026, convened by the Republic of Senegal and the United Arab Emirates, in partnership with the United Nations.
The Dakar High-level Meeting is designed to be inclusive and collaborative. It will help to spark innovative ideas and to initiate constructive partnerships that will carry through to the UAE and beyond. Stakeholders are encouraged to actively contribute throughout the sessions to ensure that all perspectives are heard and taken into account during the two days of deliberations.
Enhancing Action through Collaboration - One-day stakeholder meeting ahead of the Dakar High-Level Preparatory Meeting for the 2026 UN Water Conference, 25 January 2026
The One-Day Stakeholder Meeting: Enhancing Action through Collaboration will be held on 25 January 2026 in Dakar, Senegal, in connection with the High-level Preparatory Meeting (26-27 January) for the 2026 United Nations Water Conference. . It will be convened by UN DESA, in collaboration with the co-hosts of the 2026 UN Water Conference (Senegal and the United Arab Emirates) and in partnership with the African Civil Society Network on Water and Sanitation (ANEW) and the German WASH Network.
This stakeholder meeting will provide an inclusive platform for representatives from civil society, non-governmental organizations, Indigenous peoples, women’s and youth groups, persons with disabilities, academia, the private sector and other stakeholders to exchange perspectives and contribute to the preparatory process for the 2026 UN Water Conference. Participants will have the opportunity to deliberate on strategies to accelerate the implementation of SDG 6, identify practical approaches to strengthen cooperation at all levels, and highlight innovative solutions that advance sustainable water and sanitation for all.
The event will also support the consolidation of stakeholder recommendations to inform the Dakar High-Level Preparatory Meeting and subsequent preparations for the Conference. Through interactive discussions, working groups, and networking sessions, the meeting aims to foster collaboration, strengthen partnerships, and align key messages that will contribute to a successful and impactful 2026 UN Water Conference.
Meeting of the President of the General Assembly and Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue, 9 July 2025, UNHQ, New York
The President of the United Nations General Assembly convened a one-day meeting on Wednesday, 9 July 2025 in the General Assembly Hall to promote the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 6 and to agree on the themes of interactive dialogues for the Conference. More information is available here. Related events included a multistakeholder interactive session (3 pm – 6 pm on 9 July) for Member States, UN System and other stakeholders, and a stakeholder brainstorm (10 am – 1 pm on 10 July). The 10 July meeting provided an additional opportunity for stakeholder engagement, which is a priority for the Conference co-hosts.
Stakeholder engagement highlights from each preparatory event are summarized in the documents below:
9 July 2025 - Summary of Member States Interventions and References to Stakeholder Engagement
9 July 2025 - Multi-Stakeholder Session - Summary of Interventions and Recommendations
10 July 2025 - Summary of Reflections and Recommendations from Stakeholders
Informal Summary
The Stakeholder Engagement Informal Summary of the 9–10 July 2025 Preparatory Meetings provides an overview of how stakeholders contributed to discussions ahead of the 2026 United Nations Water Conference. It captures how civil society organizations, youth, Indigenous Peoples, academia, the private sector, and other actors engaged with Member States on the themes of the Interactive Dialogues and broader conference priorities.
The summary highlights key messages, proposals, and perspectives shared by stakeholders, underscoring their active role in shaping an inclusive preparatory process and ensuring that diverse voices inform the road toward the 2026 UN Water Conference.
2026 UN Water Conference – Organizational Session - 3 March 2025 – Stakeholder Participation
The organizational session for the 2026 UN Water Conference was held on 3rd March 2025 at the UNHQ in New York. Representatives from NGOs in consultative status with ECOSOC could attend the meeting. 50 applications were received and 14 stakeholders delivered oral interventions during the event. All statements are published here.