UAE Puts Water Security at Core of Investment Policy
Abu Dhabi frames water policy as economic policy ahead of UN conference
The United Arab Emirates has placed water security squarely on the economic governance agenda. Abdulla Balalaa, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Energy and Sustainability, argued at WETEX 2026 and the World Green Economy Summit in Dubai that resilient water supply should be treated as a central pillar of national and international investment planning, not a peripheral environmental concern.
His message to policymakers, investors and international partners was framed in explicitly economic terms: water security is economic security. “Without reliable water, agricultural productivity declines, industries face greater risks, cities become more vulnerable, and investment becomes harder to sustain,” H.E. Balalaa said. The formulation puts water policy within the mandate of economic decision-makers, tying the reliability of supply to industrial risk, urban stability and the conditions under which private capital can be deployed.
The timing carries institutional weight. The 2026 UN Water Conference, which the UAE will co-host with Senegal in Abu Dhabi this December, follows the summit. At the World Green Economy Summit’s Ministerial Roundtable, held under the title ‘From Ambition to Bankable Action - Mobilizing Green Investments for a Resilient and Inclusive Global Economy’, the assistant minister focused on the machinery of delivery. He emphasized the need to develop investable water projects and attract private capital as a means of strengthening economic resilience and supporting sustainable growth. The emphasis on bankability reflected a recurring theme of his interventions: commitments must be translated into projects capable of drawing finance.
That theme carried into his remarks on the conference itself. “The success of the Conference should not be measured simply by the commitments announced in Abu Dhabi, but by what they deliver long after December,” he said. The conference, scheduled for 8 to 10 December 2026, will be the third UN Water Conference since 1977 and the first dedicated specifically to accelerating implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 6, which concerns the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.
The co-hosts have stated their ambition plainly. The UAE and Senegal aim to convene a conference defined by action, advancing partnerships, investment, political commitments and practical solutions. For H.E. Balalaa, the practical agenda involves connecting water, energy, technology and finance to drive sustainable growth and strengthen economic competitiveness, and working with governments, financial institutions and businesses to build a pipeline of investable water projects.
Integration across infrastructure sectors emerged as a second pillar of his argument. In a high-level fireside chat at WETEX with Sheikh Dr. Majid Al Qassimi, CEO and Founder of Soma Mater, entitled ‘Every Future Flows from Water: Reimagining the Water x Energy Nexus’, the discussion examined the interdependence of water and energy systems and the case for planning them together. H.E. Balalaa extended the point to digital infrastructure, noting that artificial intelligence offers opportunities to improve resource efficiency while simultaneously creating growing demands for water and power. That tension, he suggested, policymakers must manage through coordinated planning rather than siloed decision-making.
Drawing on the UAE’s own institutional experience, he described a long record of managing scarcity through engineering and policy. “In the UAE, our relationship with water has always demanded ingenuity,” he said, citing the falaj systems that sustained communities for generations alongside today’s desalination, reuse and digitally enabled water networks. “We have learned to anticipate scarcity and invest for the long term.”
Speaking at the summit’s Official Opening Ceremony, he called for water to be recognized as a strategic economic asset and a foundation for long-term growth, pointing to the UAE’s record in converting resource constraints into opportunities through investment in renewable energy, advanced water infrastructure and emerging technologies.
Meanwhile, the conference machinery is opening to wider participation. Registration is now open for The Oasis, the UAE’s Green Zone at the 2026 UN Water Conference, which will bring together the public, businesses, innovators and organizations through exhibitions, discussions and collaborative opportunities. Registration is available at www.unwaterconferenceuae.com.
By H.E. Balalaa’s own standard, the test of December’s conference will be measured not in Abu Dhabi but in what the commitments produce in the years that follow.
Q&A
Who made the case for treating water security as an economic governance priority?
H.E. Abdulla Balalaa, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Energy and Sustainability, who argued water security should be a central pillar of national and international investment planning.
When and where is the 2026 UN Water Conference, and what makes it significant?
It will be held in Abu Dhabi from 8 to 10 December 2026, co-hosted by the UAE and Senegal, and is the third UN Water Conference since 1977 and the first dedicated to accelerating implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 6.
By what standard does Balalaa say the conference's success should be measured?
He said success should be measured not by commitments announced in Abu Dhabi but by what they deliver long after December.
What did the fireside chat with Sheikh Dr. Majid Al Qassimi cover?
He highlighted the interdependence of water and energy systems and noted that artificial intelligence improves resource efficiency while creating growing demands for water and power, requiring coordinated rather than siloed planning.