Dakar, 26/01/2026 — The People’s Water Forum has today issued a statement expressing its concern about the direction of the 2026 United Nations Water Conference, which will be held from December 2 to 4 in the United Arab Emirates, co-sponsored by Senegal and the United Arab Emirates.

The Conference, convened by the United Nations to advance the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 6, is the second international meeting on this issue following the one held in 2023. The Forum warns that the current approach marginalizes human rights and favors corporate and financial interests in global water governance.

According to the statement, the multi-stakeholder model places companies and financial actors on equal footing with states and communities, reframing water as a negotiable commodity rather than guaranteeing it as a human right. The Forum also denounces the lack of effective mechanisms to ensure meaningful participation of Indigenous peoples, rural communities, and other groups on the frontlines of the water crisis.

Another issue highlighted is the absence of binding commitments and accountability mechanisms in United Nations water conferences, as well as the emphasis on financial solutions and the promotion of private investment, despite the documented failure of water privatization to ensure equitable and affordable access.

In this context, the People’s Water Forum calls on the international community to ensure that the 2026 Conference promotes intergovernmental mechanisms that guarantee the primacy of human rights, the effective participation of rights holders, and the strengthening of public and community water and sanitation services.

The full text of the statement from the People’s Water Forumis available at this link.

About the People’s Water Forum

The People’s Water Forum is a global coordination platform of water justice networks worldwide that defends water as a human right and a common good in the face of privatization, commodification, and ecological destruction.