Abdulla Balalaa, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Energy and Sustainability, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the World Economic Forum (WEF) to formalise cooperation in support of the preparatory process and successful delivery of the 2026 UN Water Conference, which will be hosted in the UAE later this year.
The signing ceremony was attended by H.H. Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairperson of the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority; Mohammad bin Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs and Member of the World Economic Forum Leadership Council; Børge Brende, President and CEO of the WEF; and Larry Fink, interim Co-Chair of the WEF Board of Trustees and co-founder, Chairman and CEO of BlackRock.
Held at the Davos Congress Centre, the event marked a significant step in strengthening ties between the UAE and the WEF. It underscores a shared commitment to enhancing public-private engagement and driving cross-sector action to advance the Conference’s objectives, particularly in accelerating progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 6 and advancing global water initiatives.
“This partnership is about moving faster from commitment to delivery. By collaborating with the World Economic Forum, we are leveraging public-private cooperation to shape outcomes, mobilise investments, and achieve tangible progress through the Conference and beyond,” Balalaa said.
Sebastian Buckup, Managing Director of the WEF, emphasised: “Water underpins economic resilience, climate stability, and human well-being. Through this partnership with the UAE, the WEF will strengthen a systems-based approach to water, mobilising cross-sector leadership, accelerating investment, and scaling effective solutions. Together, we aim to ensure the 2026 UN Water Conference delivers measurable impact where it matters most.”
The World Economic Forum serves as a global, impartial, not-for-profit platform, facilitating connections among political, business, academic, civil society, and other leaders. Both the UAE and the WEF recognise that water is central to productivity across all major economic sectors.
Sixty percent of global GDP depends on access to sufficient and high-quality water, yet around 90 percent of water-sector investment comes from the public sector, with private-sector contributions representing only a small fraction of the funding needed.
