IWA participation on the road to the 2026 UN Water Conference

The high-level preparatory meeting for the 2026 UN Water Conference concluded last week in Dakar, Senegal, with the IWA team participating in this key step in advance of December’s UN Water Conference in the UAE.

The meeting provided an opportunity to build connections with IWA’s own events and the insights and experiences that are shared at them. The team took to Dakar the recently finalised Bangkok Communiqué on Water Security and Resilience – a key output from the IWA Water and Development Congress held at the end of last year – and brought IWA’s 2026 World Water Congress & Exhibition forward as part of the road map to the UAE.

At the heart of the agenda for the two-day Dakar meeting were sessions to shape the six interactive dialogues that will take place in December. These dialogues span themes of people, prosperity, planet, cooperation, multilateral processes, and investment.

Discussions in Dakar showed that the Bangkok Communiqué’s call to action on governance, resilience, innovation, inclusive approaches, and more aligns with the momentum building towards the UAE conference.

Furthermore, as IWA continues to participate in the road from Dakar to the UAE, the opportunity for our World Water Congress & Exhibition in Glasgow, UK in October to provide practitioner exposure for the themes and options being carried into the UAE meeting was well received, with IWA’s Congress also set to feature a high-level summit with a focus on financing and the role of water sector governance.

IWA participation in the Dakar preparatory meeting included IWA Executive Director Kala Vairavamoorthy moderating the panel discussion component of the session on the water for people interactive dialogue, which is being led by co-chairs Ghana and Switzerland, and speaking in the second-day afternoon session looking at the road ahead to UAE.

IWA Strategic Programmes & Engagement Director, Daniela Bemfica, who represents the Association in the UN Water network, was in Dakar continuing to oversee IWA’s input to help shape the preparation of the six Interactive Dialogue discussion documents that will guide discussions in UAE. Membership Engagement Senior Officer Isabela Espindola was leading IWA’s contribution to shape the youth dimension of the preparatory process. Through its engagement with young water professionals and youth-led networks, IWA supported the preparation, coordination, and strategic positioning of youth voices across the Interactive Dialogues. Marketing and Communications Director Keith Hayward was coordinating the connections with IWA’s events.