Saudi Arabia calls for collective global action to strengthen water security

NEW YORK — Saudi Arabia has emphasized the necessity of international collaboration to bolster water security globally and convert water-related commitments into practical outcomes that bolster public health, food security, economic growth, climate resilience and stability. The Kingdom highlighted the necessity of aligning funding with concrete water priorities, hastening impactful innovations, broadening access to dependable data, and strengthening institutional capabilities for execution.

This call emerged during a high-level ministerial gathering called “United for Water: A Call for Collective Action,” co-chaired by Saudi Arabia and Senegal in collaboration with the Global Water Organization (GWO) during the side events of the 81st United Nations General Assembly High-Level Week in New York.

The conference convened ministers, top government officials, representatives of international entities, multilateral development banks, UN agencies, and water sector stakeholders. Dr. Fahad Balghunaim, who leads the Global Water Organization, explained that the gathering tackled increasing pressures on global water resources and investigated practical ways to translate political pledges into quantifiable actions.

Discussions underscored water security's role in enhancing resilience and stability, hastening the shift from dialogue to execution, and promoting collective efforts to mobilize sustainable financing and forge partnerships.

Dr. Balghunaim stressed that water security is essential to public health, food security, economic development, climate resilience, and stability, stressing the need for enhanced collaboration to tackle interconnected global challenges. He noted that the session reflected the international community's commitment to water issues and stressed the importance of turning this commitment into tangible results by aligning funding with credible priorities, quickening high-impact innovations, enhancing access to reliable data, and boosting institutional capacity for implementation.

Dr. Balghunaim added that collective action demands all parties to utilize their resources toward attaining shared water security objectives.

The conference participants shared national experiences on enhancing resilience through water security, boosting implementation via scalable partnerships, and raising sustainable financing for priority water projects. Discussions also stressed the importance of forging stronger connections between governments, international organizations, development institutions, and other stakeholders to ensure effective implementation on a larger scale and identify upcoming partnership chances for water security and sustainable development.

The Global Water Organization continues to collaborate with governments and international partners to enhance cooperation on water security and convert shared priorities into coordinated actions, providing a platform that connects countries with the necessary expertise, funding, and partnerships to advance water security goals.