Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid invites Saudi Crown Prince to December UN Water Conference

Invitation conveyed in Riyadh

The invitation came in a letter handed over in Riyadh by UAE Ambassador Matar Al Dhaheri to Saudi Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Waleed Al Khereiji. State news agency Wam reported the meeting on Friday.

An invitation has also been extended to Saudi Arabia's King Salman. The National reported in August that UAE President Sheikh Mohamed had written to the king to invite him to the conference.

UAE and Senegal to co-host

The UAE and Senegal will jointly host the Abu Dhabi gathering. The UAE's official conference website describes it as the first UN Water Conference led by two Global South nations and only the third such UN conference in almost 50 years.

A UN media advisory issued ahead of the event puts the water-access shortfall at 2.1 billion people without safely managed drinking water and 3.4 billion without safely managed sanitation, as of 2024.

The advisory outlines a program of seven plenary sessions and six interactive dialogues. The dialogue themes are Water for Cooperation, Water for Prosperity, Investments in Water, Water for People, Water for Planet, and Water in Multilateral Processes.

Conference zones and media registration

Activities will take place across two zones, according to the official conference website. The UAE will host The Oasis, offering exhibitions and programming, while the UN-led Blue Zone will house the official conference agenda, including plenaries and side events.

The website also lists the inaugural Abu Dhabi Water and Power Week among the marquee programming, with the Department of Energy serving as its host.

Journalists must apply for media accreditation pre-registration by November 13, 2026, the closing date specified in the UN advisory.