The High-Level Preparatory Meeting held in Dakar in January 2026 marked an important step toward the next 2026 United Nations Water Conference. Water4All took part in this international milestone to help ensure that research and innovation are recognised as practical drivers for accelerating water action worldwide.
A strong Water4All presence in Dakar
Water4All had the opportunity to participate in the UN Water Conference Preparatory Meeting, hosted by #Senegal and the #United Arab Emirates.
Representatives of Water4All joined discussions alongside governments, international organisations and stakeholders to contribute to the preparation of the global water agenda. Across the 6 interactive dialogues (a) water for people, (b) water for prosperity, (c) water for planet, (d) water for cooperation, (e) water in multilateral processes and (f) investments for water, one message emerged clearly: water can no longer be addressed in isolation. It is the operating system of development as it is directly connected to health, food systems, ecosystems, climate adaptation, economic development and social stability.
For Water4All, Dakar confirmed that solutions already exist, but that stronger efforts are needed to connect scientific knowledge, innovation, policy action and implementation on the ground. Research must not remain at project level: it must support concrete transformation.
Resilience has become a key metric for development. This fits exactly in the #EuropeanWaterResilienceStrategy and the Water4All partnership activities.
Water4All key messages for the 2026 Conference
Water4All is preparing its contribution around a simple ambition: showing how research and innovation can help turn political commitments into operational solutions.
Several messages are guiding this work:
- public research remains essential to generate independent knowledge and support long-term water resilience;
- innovation must be accelerated through testing, demonstration and uptake of solutions;
- international cooperation is necessary to bridge local actions and global commitments;
- capacity building, youth involvement and knowledge sharing must become central pillars of water action.
These priorities are fully aligned with the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 6 and with emerging policy frameworks such as the European Water Resilience Strategy.
From roadmap to concrete contributions
Following Dakar, Water4All has structured its preparation through several dedicated task forces that will develop concrete contributions for the Conference. These groups address themes such as visibility, digital transformation, capacity building, international cooperation, water-oriented living labs and justice in water sustainability.
Their mission is to identify activities that can demonstrate impact: side events, strategic collaborations, policy inputs and concrete examples from funded projects.
Several international milestones will help shape this roadmap during 2026, including major global water events in Jeddah (11th World Water Forum – 2nd Stakeholder Consultation Meeting, 8-9 April 2026), Dushanbe (International Conference on Water for Sustainable Development (2018-2028), 25-28 May 2026) and Stockholm (World Water Week – Water for People and Progress, 23-27 August 2026), where Water4All will continue building alliances and refining its messages ahead of the 2026 UN Water Conference.
Looking ahead
The coming months will focus on transforming ideas into visible contributions for Abu Dhabi: identifying strategic partners, strengthening links with international organisations, and bringing forward concrete examples of how research already supports water resilience in practice.
For Water4All, the objective is clear: contribute to making the 2026 UN Water Conference not only a moment of ambition, but a step forward for implementation.
