General Assembly Adopts Decision on Themes of Interactive Dialogues for 2026 United Nations Water Conference
The General Assembly in a decision adopted by consensus today made public the themes of the six interactive dialogues for the 2026 United Nations Water Conference.
Defined “without any particular order of priority”, the themes include: the human rights to water and sanitation; the promotion of integrated and sustainable water resource management; the “source-to-sea” approach; transboundary and international cooperation; water in multilateral processes; and investment in water.
The adopted text (A/79/L.101) was introduced by the United Arab Emirates, co-hosting the conference with Senegal, which will take place from 2 to 4 December 2026 in the United Arab Emirates.
Reservations from United States and Argentina
The representative of the United States expressed regret that the proposed themes include “red lines” for the United States Administration, particularly the first theme regarding the human right to water and sanitation. These rights refer to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which the United States is not party to and, consequently, are not recognized by United States courts, the delegation argued.
The United States also distanced itself from the third theme due to its reference to climate. “We prefer to refer to specific environmental threats, such as wastewater or sea-level rise,” the delegation said, suggesting that the word “environment” alone would sufficiently guide the dialogue. Similarly, it rejected the term “inclusive” used in the fourth theme, arguing that it prioritizes certain specific groups. The delegation also reiterated that, for the United States, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) “promote a governance agenda incompatible with United States sovereignty and that infringes upon the rights and interests of Americans”. For these reasons, it dissociated itself from themes 1, 3, 4 and 5, and called on Member States to focus on “concrete and pragmatic” goals.
The representative of Argentina also dissociated itself from all references to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Furthermore, regarding the theme on water treatment, it stressed that the right to water and sanitation is “a human right that each State must guarantee to individuals under its jurisdiction, not to other States”. It also opposed the use of non-agreed concepts such as “water diplomacy” and “water governance”, which it said contradict its national position.
Türkiye Fears Politicization of Cooperation Theme
The delegate of Türkiye expressed disappointment that, unlike the other five themes, the one on cooperation had not been re-evaluated. While agreeing that water can foster cooperation rather than conflict, it voiced concern over the potential politicization of water-related issues during the 2026 Conference. Despite the reservations, Türkiye’s delegate said it trusted the co-hosts to handle the theme in a way that ensures a “balanced and impartial” outcome.
According to the Turkish delegation, the dialogues at the conference should consider the presentation made by the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on Water, which outlines the challenges developing countries face in achieving SDG 6 on water and sanitation. “Rather than creating ambitious and unrealistic goals, each thematic discussion should focus on the needs of developing countries, particularly in terms of financing, technology and capacity-building,” the delegation said, welcoming the fact that the sixth theme addresses these “priority” issues.