UAE urges investors to help close $6.7 trillion global water funding gap

The UAE is asking investors to put water at the center of economic planning as the world confronts a $6.7 trillion financing gap for water infrastructure and universal access to safe water and sanitation.

The appeal comes as the UAE and Senegal prepare to host the 2026 United Nations Water Conference in Abu Dhabi from Dec. 8 to 10. The conference will focus on turning international commitments into practical projects and solutions that can operate at scale.

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Water issues may not always appear as a standalone line item in budgets, but they underpin every aspect of development and economic activity.

“Water issues may not always appear as a standalone line item in budgets, but they underpin every aspect of development and economic activity,” Abdulla Balalaa, the UAE’s assistant minister of foreign affairs for energy and sustainability, said at a media briefing in Abu Dhabi. “If we are serious about implementation, we must be equally serious about financing. Investing in water is investing in people.”

The push comes as the world remains off track on Sustainable Development Goal 6, which calls for clean water and sanitation for all. About 2.1 billion people still lack safely managed drinking water, 3.4 billion lack safely managed sanitation and 1.7 billion lack basic hygiene services at home. Women and girls spend almost 250 million hours a day collecting water, time that could otherwise go to education, skills development or work.

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If we are serious about implementation, we must be equally serious about financing. Investing in water is investing in people.

Balalaa described water as an “invisible thread” linking the economy. Agriculture accounts for 72 percent of global freshwater withdrawals, while industry, energy production, supply chains and technology also depend on reliable supplies. The rapid growth of artificial intelligence is adding another dimension, because data centers and the infrastructure and energy systems that support them require water.

He said water should be viewed not only as a scarcity concern, but also as an economic, infrastructure and security issue, as well as an investment opportunity. Governments alone cannot meet the scale of funding required, he said. Commercial banks, institutional investors, development-finance institutions, multilateral development banks, philanthropic organizations and private companies all need to recognize water as both an economic priority and an investment opportunity.

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Invisible thread