UAE Official Urges Private Sector Investment to Combat Global Water Scarcity Ahead of Abu Dhabi Conference

A senior UAE official has stated that the private sector could hold the key to solving the problem of global water scarcity. Speaking at a media briefing on Monday, Abdulla Balalaa, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Energy and Sustainability, promoted the upcoming third UN Water Conference scheduled for December in Abu Dhabi, which is expected to draw global policymakers, private investors, and young voices.

“Water underpins every aspect of development and economic activity,” Mr Balalaa said. Although the UAE has achieved 100 per cent coverage for safe water and sanitation, it obtains the majority of its water from desalination due to being located in one of the most water-scarce regions in the world.

Global statistics shared by Mr Balalaa indicate that 2.1 billion people lack safely managed drinking water, 3.4 billion do not have access to safely managed sanitation, and 1.7 billion lack basic hygiene services at home. He stressed that immediate investments and plans are needed, noting that Sustainable Development Goal 6—aiming to ensure clean water and sanitation for all by 2030—is currently off-track.

“According to international reports, the financial gap is quantified at $6.7 trillion. As of today, 90 per cent of the total spending on the water sector comes from governments and public capital,” he said. “The objective is to turn this into an opportunity for the private sector, which will basically relieve the load from government spending, but at the same time to give them the opportunity to deploy water projects.”

The conference will feature six interactive dialogues, with a strong focus on the final one: Investments for Water. This aligns with the core theme of “Water x Investment”, emphasizing the necessity of private funding for future projects.

Explaining the rationale behind hosting the event, Mr Balalaa told The National, “Urbanisation and population growth will only exacerbate the scarcity of the existing resources. We see this as something very important to shed light on, and hence we are convening the world here in the UAE to work together to come up with solutions that can be deemed fruitful for the next generations to come.”

He added that responsibility also lies with the general population and communities to use water resources moderately and efficiently without over-consuming.

What is the UN Water Conference?

The 2026 UN Water Conference, co-hosted by the UAE and Senegal, will take place at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (Adnec) from December 8 to 10. The event will feature a UN-led Blue Zone and a UAE-led zone called The Oasis, designed to engage the public through activations and collaborative discussions similar to the Green Zone at Cop28 in Dubai. This marks the third UN Water Conference, following the inaugural event hosted by Argentina in 1977 and the second held in New York in 2023.