Arab Region Commitments to the 2026 UN Water Conference: Investment in Water

This high-level session on the Arab Region Commitments to the 2026 UN Water Conference will focus on the importance of investment in water in the Arab region as a priority for achieving water security. Mobilizing financing is crucial for accelerating progress within the water sector and across the water-related components of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This is particularly true for the States in the Arab region, in which public debt has expanded to reach $1.4 trillion and where Governments fund 79 per cent of water and sanitation-related services, twice the global average. This session is composed of two segments with the first segment providing an opportunity for Arab ministers responsible for water resources to express challenges, priorities and more importantly commitments to the 2026 UN Water Conference to increase investments in water. The second segment will explore financial flows to the water sector in the region with a focus on climate and innovative finance exploring the role of various actors including the private banking sector, multilateral development banks and regional development agencies in funding the water needs gap.
  • 11:30 - 13:00 (MONACO AB)
    Day 2

Conveners

  • ESCWA

  • Ministry of Water Resources & Irrigation Egypt

  • Green Climate Fund

  • League of Arab States

  • Government of Sweden

  • Islamic Development Bank

  • Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

Chairman

Moderator

Speakers