Egypt Co-Chairs Global UN Summit to Tackle Water Scarcity
Egypt and Japan will jointly lead the 'Water for the Planet' dialogue at the 2026 UN Water Conference.
Egypt will co-chair the 'Water for the Planet' interactive dialogue at the 2026 United Nations Water Conference alongside Japan, while Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Hani Sweilem is participating in the ministerial segment of the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development at the United Nations headquarters in New York.
The forum includes an in-depth review of Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6), which focuses on ensuring the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. Discussions place water security at the centre of broader development priorities and international cooperation.
Ministers and international officials are addressing issues including water scarcity, drought, desertification, land degradation and the growing impact of climate change, with particular attention given to strengthening the resilience of water systems in the face of increasingly frequent extreme weather events.
On the sidelines of the forum, Sweilem is holding a series of bilateral meetings with senior international officials to discuss preparations for the 2026 United Nations Water Conference, as well as opportunities to strengthen international cooperation on water management. The meetings also cover partnerships, financing, technology transfer and capacity-building initiatives aimed at advancing global water security.
