The UAE is observing this year’s World Water Day by reinforcing its commitment to strengthening global water security and advancing innovative, sustainable water management solutions.
The country is intensifying its global engagement through flagship programmes such as the Mohamed bin Zayed Water Initiative and Suqia UAE, while also gearing up to co-host the 2026 United Nations Water Conference in December alongside Senegal.
This upcoming conference takes place against the backdrop of an escalating global water crisis, where 2.2 billion people still lack access to safe drinking water, 3.5 billion are without properly managed sanitation services, and 4 billion face acute water scarcity for at least one month each year.
The UAE’s international water agenda is supported by substantial financial commitments, including a USD150 million pledge for water scarcity solutions announced during COP28, as well as the USD60 million “Clean Rivers” programme aimed at tackling waste and water challenges across Indonesia, the Philippines, and Brazil.
As part of Operation Chivalrous Knight 3, the UAE has developed a 7.5-kilometre water pipeline in Gaza, delivering approximately 2 million gallons daily to over one million people. Additionally, Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives has implemented well-drilling projects in Chad, supporting around 65,000 Sudanese refugees.
Further extending its humanitarian efforts, the UAE dispatched a vessel equipped with 14 desalination units to Cyprus, with a total production capacity of 15,000 cubic metres per day to help alleviate water shortages.
