1st preparatory meeting of the UN 2026 Water Conference

Excellencies, distinguished delegates  

Ladies and Gentlemen, 

• Water is fundamental to life on earth. 
• It is vital for agriculture, which accounts for 72% of global freshwater withdrawals. 
• Yet, as we are aware, freshwater resources are depleting at an alarming rate. 
• Water scarcity, floods and droughts are increasing in frequency and intensity.
• We need to commit to using water in a sustainable way – starting with agriculture.
• Agriculture must play an active role at the forefront of efforts to tackle water-related challenges. 
• FAO is dedicated to support accelerated action towards the achievement of the 2030 Agenda, particularly on Sustainable Development Goal two on ending hunger, achieving food security and improving nutrition; as well as Sustainable Development Goal six on ensuring access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene, through improved agriculture water management for better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life. 
• Through the FAO Water Journey, FAO is promoting the integration of water into national policy development and solutions for the transformation of agrifood systems to ensure global food security. 
• Water has also been mainstreamed in FAO’s internal governance mechanisms and decision-making bodies, and it is the theme of the current biennium of FAO. 
• In 2023, FAO submitted eight commitments to the Water Action Agenda, namely:
  • National Water Roadmaps,
  • Global Dialogue on Water Tenure,
  • National Drought Plans,
  • Irrigation needs and potential mapping,
  • Development of a Global Water Data Portal,
  • Monitoring of Water Productivity and Evapotranspiration,
  • Addressing water scarcity in agriculture, and
  • FAO’s legal database on water, AQUALEX.
• FAO has actively promoted and strengthened the implementation of these commitments in collaboration with Members and partners on the ground.
• Agrifood systems hold the key to solving major interlinked challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution, and poverty.
• FAO therefore calls for a holistic, systemic and integrated approach to value and manage water as a key driver for agrifood systems transformation to ensure sustainable development.
• In defining the themes for the upcoming UN 2026 Water conference, FAO would like to propose that particular focus be placed on the vital role of water for agrifood systems transformation.
• During the UN 2023 Water Conference, FAO played an active role as co-organizer of the Interactive Dialogue 2 ‘Water for Sustainable Development: Valuing Water, Water-Energy-Food Nexus, and Sustainable Economic and Urban Development’. 
• FAO is committed to supporting the co-hosts of the 2026 UN Water Conference, the Governments of Senegal and the United Arab Emirates, as well as the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy on Water and stands ready once again to co-organize relevant theme. 
• Thank you.