The United Arab Emirates will mark World Water Day on March 22, reaffirming its commitment to enhancing global water security through innovation and sustainable resource management, as it intensifies international cooperation to address worsening water scarcity worldwide.
The UAE is expanding its global role through initiatives such as the Mohamed bin Zayed Water Initiative and Suqia UAE, while preparing to co-host the 2026 United Nations Water Conference in December alongside Senegal.
The upcoming conference takes place amid a deepening global water crisis, with 2.2 billion people lacking access to clean drinking water, 3.5 billion without safely managed sanitation, and 4 billion experiencing severe water scarcity for at least one month annually.
The UAE’s water security strategy is backed by major financial commitments, including $150 million pledged at COP28 to address water scarcity, and the $60 million ‘Clean Rivers’ program targeting environmental and water challenges in Indonesia, the Philippines and Brazil.
As part of humanitarian efforts under Operation Chivalrous Knight 3, the UAE has built a 7.5-kilometre water pipeline in Gaza, producing around 2 million gallons daily to support more than one million people. Meanwhile, Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives has completed water well projects in Chad, benefiting approximately 65,000 Sudanese refugees.
The UAE also dispatched a vessel carrying 14 desalination units to Cyprus, with a combined output of 15,000 cubic meters per day, to help alleviate water shortages and ensure water security.
In January, the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development launched the ‘Abu Dhabi Global Water Platform’ to mobilize $2 billion in funding from international and local partners. The fund will allocate an initial $1 billion over five years (2026–2030), targeting around 10 million beneficiaries globally.
Recent financing efforts include an $102.35 million (AED376 million) loan for Tajikistan’s Rogun Hydroelectric Power Station, enabling storage of approximately one billion cubic metres of water for power generation, irrigation and drinking supply. Additional projects aim to provide potable water to 500,000 residents in Mauritania by 2050.
On the technology front, the Mohamed bin Zayed Water Initiative is advancing innovation through the 2025 ‘Miyah Challenge’, focused on accelerating scalable solutions for water security and sustainability.
At the same time, Suqia UAE continues to expand its humanitarian reach, having delivered clean water to 15 million people across 37 countries, while promoting innovation through the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Water Award.
