In December 2026, Abu Dhabi will host the United Nations Water Conference, co-organized with Senegal. This major event recognizes the growing role of the United Arab Emirates in the global governance of this vital resource. On October 1, the Emirati capital set the tone by hosting the second edition of the Water Quality Forum, under the theme "Innovating for Resilience." For this desert country, facing chronic water stress, engagement is as much a necessity as it is a lever of influence: the Emirates are investing massively, exporting their expertise, and increasing their partnerships, particularly in Africa.

Lack of water, more innovation

Located in one of the driest regions in the world, the United Arab Emirates receives less than 100 millimeters of rain annually. Overexploitation of groundwater, rising temperatures, and sea level rise are further weakening water resources.

To address this pressure, the country has equipped itself with tools to circumvent this water stress, thanks to massive investments. Authorities are initially focusing on large-scale desalination, using increasingly efficient and energy-efficient technologies. Abu Dhabi and Dubai, for example, have made desalination a key solution. The capital's reverse osmosis plant is now the largest in the world. The city's treated water reuse system has achieved a rate of 73% by 2023. In Dubai, the future Hassyan site, operated by Véolia and resulting from a $320 million investment, is expected to provide drinking water to two million people daily starting in 2026.

These projects demonstrate a massive effort to combine water security and energy transition. As in Abu Dhabi, the national strategy includes the reuse of treated water and the creation of reservoirs. But water management is only one aspect of the UAE's climate ambitions. The country is massively developing renewable energy, investing in carbon capture and storage and green hydrogen, and is establishing itself as the driving force behind the energy transition in the Middle East.

As pioneers in these areas, the Emirates are not only seeking to ensure their survival in a hostile environment. They are also building an image as a global laboratory for managing climate challenges.

Africa, a field of influence and diversification

The UAE's growing interest in Africa is consistent with this. The continent, rich in resources but exposed to significant water vulnerabilities, represents both a strategic partner and a testing ground.

In May 2025, Rabat and Abu Dhabi announced a vast $14 billion investment program, involving the Mohammed VI Investment Fund, the Moroccan subsidiary of the Emirati group TAQA, and NAREVA. The agreement aims to develop renewable energy projects and also includes the installation of several desalination plants to produce nearly 900 million cubic meters of water per year.

Since 2019, nearly two billion dollars of investment has been committed in Angola in the fields of agriculture, energy, and drinking water supply. Faced with water stress, the Emirates are also seeking to establish political and economic influence in countries along the Nile, particularly Ethiopia, the country's grain basket, whose Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed is a protégé of Emirati President Mohammed bin Zayed.

Behind these commitments, a clear logic emerges for the Emirates: diversify investments, strengthen regional influence, and establish itself as an essential partner in African development. Water thus becomes an instrument of diplomacy and power projection, as much as a resource to be secured.

Momentum for UAE-Africa cooperation on water

The current momentum is taking on a political dimension with the co-hosting, by the United Arab Emirates and Senegal, of the United Nations Water Conference scheduled for December 2026 in Abu Dhabi. This meeting will be the first of this magnitude since 2023 and is expected to define crucial directions for accelerating universal access to drinking water and strengthening international cooperation.

At the same time, the African continent is charting its own course. The "Water Vision 2063," adopted on September 30 at the General Assembly of the African Ministers' Council on Water (AMCOW) in Dakar by some thirty delegations, places the resource at the heart of the continent's ambitions for economic and social transformation. In Dakar, the signing on September 29 of an agreement between Côte d'Ivoire and Senegal on integrated water resources management illustrates a new dynamic: that of African cooperation that focuses on sharing expertise and collective sovereignty in water governance.

For the Emirates, this convergence opens a window of opportunity. By combining their financial and technological capabilities with African priorities, they are strengthening their international stature while consolidating strategic alliances.