High-level Prepatory Meeting for the 2026 United Nations Water Conference

The United Nations General Assembly, in its resolution 78/327, decided to convene the 2026 United Nations Water Conference, co-hosted by the Republic of Senegal and the United Arab Emirates, from 2 to 4 December 2026 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

To support the effective preparation of the 2026 UN Water Conference, the UN General Assembly welcomed the generous offer of Senegal to convene a high-level international meeting in Dakar (78/327, para. 17). The High-Level Preparatory Meeting for the 2026 UN Water Conference (Dakar High-Level Meeting) will be organized in Dakar on 26 and 27 January 2026 by the Governments of Senegal and the UAE in collaboration with the United Nations.

Coming nearly one year in advance of the Conference, the Dakar High-Level Meeting is a critical step in the roadmap to the UAE in December 2026. As a seminal pre-Conference preparatory event, the Dakar High-level Meeting will put in place the groundwork for the 2026 UN Water Conference. The Meeting will initiate discussions and facilitate the alignment of actors around the six themes of the interactive dialogues of the 2026 UN Water Conference and be a key moment to foster partnerships and co-create a shared ambition for the Conference.

The Dakar High-level Meeting will be preceded by the Stakeholder One-Day Meeting on 25 January 2026, in Dakar, Senegal to strengthen multi-stakeholder participation. The event will be convened by UN DESA, in collaboration with the co-hosts of the 2026 UN Water Conference (Senegal and the United Arab Emirates) and in partnership with the African Civil Society Network on Water and Sanitation (ANEW) and the German WASH network. This event will create a dedicated platform for stakeholders, including civil society, youth, and Indigenous Peoples, to align on their contributions ahead of the Meeting. Further details on this one-day event will made available in due course.

Find out more information about the Dakar High-level Meeting by visiting the conference webpage.