Latest news with #AbdullaBalalaa
Al Etihad
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Etihad
Preparations for 2026 UN Water Conference accelerate with adoption of six interactive dialogue themes
10 July 2025 09:35 NEW YORK (WAM) At a high-level preparatory meeting convened by the President of the United Nations General Assembly, Member States formally adopted, by consensus, the themes of the six interactive dialogues of the 2026 United Nations Water Conference (2026 UNWC), held in the United Arab Emirates in December next adoption marks a pivotal milestone in the lead-up to the 2026 UNWC, which aims to elevate the global water agenda and catalyse collective action and ambitions on water-related challenges. As the first UN conference focused on accelerating progress toward Sustainable Development Goal 6 (ensuring availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all), the 2026 UNWC presents a vital opportunity to drive meaningful, global 2024, the United Arab Emirates and the Republic of Senegal, as co-hosts of the 2026 Conference, have led a robust, inclusive consultation process involving Member States and various stakeholders, including international organisations, civil society organisations, NGOs, the private sector, and efforts were anchored by the Organisational Session held on March 3, 2025 at the UN Headquarters in New York, where initial inputs and proposals on dialogue themes were formally gathered, followed by a month-long online consultation process during which contributions and recommendations from all stakeholder groups were carefully reviewed and integrated into the development of the final themes for the interactive six themes officially adopted for the interactive dialogues are:* Water for People* Water for Prosperity* Water for Planet* Water for Cooperation* Water in Multilateral Processes* Investments for WaterAssistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Energy and Sustainability, Abdulla Balalaa, stated, 'Water connects us all, and our actions must reflect that shared responsibility.' He added, 'This Conference is our moment to course-correct - to set the world on a pathway of accelerated, coordinated, and sustained water action. To demonstrate progress on clean water and access, we must leverage investments, innovation, and partnerships to secure a sustainable water future for all.'Following this milestone, the UAE and Senegal will begin the co-chairs selection process for each of the interactive selected co-chairs, working in close collaboration with the co-hosts and other stakeholders, will play a key role in shaping the thematic discussions and desired outcomes of the Conference. This selection process will conclude prior to the next major preparatory milestone scheduled to take place in Dakar, Senegal, on January 26-27, week in New York also featured a series of high-level meetings and engagements to advance the UAE's preparations and international collaboration in the lead-up to hosting the 2026 UN Water Conference, co-hosted by the UAE and Senegal, will be held in the UAE in December of next Conference aims to accelerate action toward the achievement of SDG6 and mobilise global efforts to ensure the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. As of today, 2.2 billion lack access to clean drinking water and 3.5 billion lack access to sanitation, making the 2026 UN Water Conference a timely convening for accelerating global water action.
Gulf Today
18-05-2025
- Business
- Gulf Today
NDCs must serve as national development blueprints: UAE
Abdulla Balalaa, Assistant Foreign Minister for Energy and Sustainability, led the United Arab Emirates (UAE) delegation to the Copenhagen Climate Ministerial, alongside ministers and climate leaders from around the world, to advance COP28's outputs and set the course towards COP30. Held from May 7-8, the meeting represents an important milestone, marking 10 years since the adoption of the Paris Agreement and the halfway point through the critical decade to keep the 1.5°C goal within reach. Balalaa represented the COP28 Presidency in the Troika High-Level Dialogue on Long-Term Development Planning, co-chaired by the COP28, COP29, and COP30 Presidencies. The session explored how Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) can serve as strategic instruments for sustainable development, investment mobilisation, and institutional resilience. 'As the initiators of the Troika Roadmap to Mission 1.5, the UAE firmly believes that NDCs must move beyond pledges. They must serve as national development blueprints – integrating investment, inclusion, and resilience,' said Balalaa during his intervention. On the sidelines of the meeting, Balalaa held several bilateral meetings with key partners, including the Minister of Climate Change of kingdom of Norway, Deputy Danish Minister of Energy, Climate, and Utilities; Denmark's Minister of Environment and Gender Equality. He also held several meetings with CEOs of private sector water & renewable energy companies such as Vestas the pioneer company in wind turbines, Copenhagen infrastructure partners (CIP), and AVK, one of the largest holding company in water solutions. In these engagements, Balalaa reaffirmed the UAE's commitment to leading the implementation of the Baku Climate Unity Pact, which includes initializing the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage (FRLD) and advancing the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG). Furthermore, the UAE emphasized its role as a climate finance pioneer, referencing its USD 100 million contributions to both the FRLD and the Global Flaring and Methane Reduction (GFMR) Fund, as well as the launch of the $30 billion ALTÉRRA platform to unlock transformational finance and catalyse private sector engagement. In addition, Balalaa highlighted the UAE's commitment to sustainable development through its co-hosting of the United Nations Water Conference 2026 (UNWC) alongside Senegal. This pivotal event will link water security, climate resilience, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with the goals of the Paris Agreement. The UAE views water action as inseparable from climate action and remains committed to driving global cooperation for a resilient and sustainable future for generations to come. This participation reflects the UAE's ongoing diplomatic efforts to build international support for global climate action, following the signing of the historic 'UAE Consensus,' reached at the 28th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28), held in Expo City in Dubai in 2023. These endeavors aim to accelerate progress across adaptation, energy transition, and resilience in the lead-up to COP30, which will be held in Belém, Brazil the coming November. Recently, Balalaa led the UAE delegation at the Petersberg Climate Dialogue, where he participated at the annual meeting's high-level sessions, alongside the Federal Chancellor of Germany and several ministers. He also held a series of ministerial meetings in Berlin, reaffirming the UAE's commitment to international cooperation across climate action, energy transition, water resource management and sustainable development. During his visit, Balalaa met several prominent German and international officials, including Stefan Wenzel, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action; Jochen Flasbarth, State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development; Eva Kracht, Director-General for International Affairs at the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety; and Simon Stiell, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). WAM
Al Etihad
22-03-2025
- Politics
- Al Etihad
MoFA participates in international conference to ensure sustained leadership of water crisis
22 Mar 2025 13:01 ABU DHABI (WAM)Abdulla Balalaa, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Energy and Sustainability, participated in a ministerial meeting, convened by the United Kingdom's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, on 'Tackling water security across the climate-nature-development nexus', to underscore the need for urgent collective action and sustained leadership on the global water also attended a reception ceremony hosted at Buckingham Palace by His Majesty King Charles III, on 'Water and Climate', in collaboration with Ministerial meeting, held a few days prior to World Water Day (March 22), was chaired by Baroness Chapman, the United Kingdom's Minister of State for International Development, Latin America and the Caribbean. It also brought together Ministers from Morocco, Senegal, Nigeria, Nepal and Bangladesh, as well as senior leaders from the European Union and key multilateral institutions and international organisations – including the European Commission, the World Bank, UNICEF, UN Water, Water Aid, and the Global Commission on the Economics of meeting aims to identify priority areas of collaboration over the next year for a systemic and responsible shift in addressing water security across the climate-nature-development the session, Balalaa highlighted the UAE's preparations for the 2026 UN Water Conference, and emphasised that the event will focus on accelerating the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 6, stating 'This Goal is the catalyst and enabler of all our global societal, environmental and economic goals.'Building on the discussion of the Ministerial discussions, participants agreed to leverage key moments in the year ahead to build and sustain work in providing clean water to enable the delivery of all SDGs; work in multi-stakeholder partnerships to drive scalable, innovative and inclusive solutions to the water crisis; and cooperate with existing UN processes to strengthen the integration of water within the multilateral international Ministerial meeting convened following the Organisational Session of the 2026 UN Water Conference, which took place on March 3, 2025, at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, where over 70 participants – including both Member States and stakeholders – shared their recommendations for the themes of the interactive dialogues of the Conference. The themes will be decided in a preparatory meeting convened by the President of the General Assembly on July 9, 2025.
Al Etihad
11-03-2025
- Business
- Al Etihad
UAE, EU strengthen cooperation on energy, climate, water in lead-up to COP30, 2026 UN Water Conference
7 Mar 2025 20:48 BRUSSELS (WAM)Abdulla Ahmed Balalaa, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Energy and Sustainability, concluded a two-day trip, from the 6-7 March, to the European Union (EU) in Brussels, where he met with senior officials and stakeholders in the energy and water the meetings, Abdulla Balalaa reaffirmed the UAE's close partnership with the EU, focusing on aligning efforts, cooperation and achieving progress in the fields of renewable energy, energy efficiency and water visit followed the 2026 United Nations Water Conference (UNWC26) Organisational Session in New York and coincides with EU Ocean Days in Brussels. During the visit, he was invited to take part in the EU's consultative process on reviewing the EU's water resilience the consultative process, Balalaa highlighted the launch of the 2026 UNWC process, outlined the UAE's priorities for the conference and invited the international community to take part in working towards advancing innovative, inclusive and scalable solutions to water further affirmed the UAE's commitment to deepening its cooperation with the EU in advancing climate action, energy transition, water resilience, and global sustainability. He also highlighted that discussions in Brussels were instrumental in driving forward the climate adaptation and energy related commitments made at the 28thConference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28), which was held in Dubai in 2023, to ensure strong alignment with the EU ahead of the UN Ocean Conference 2025, COP30, and the 2026 UN Water visit included meetings with a number of EU officials and the European Investment Bank (EIB) reinforcing bilateral relations to explore the potential to expand investments in clean energy, infrastructure, and water met with European Commission representatives: Ditte Juul-Jørgensen, Director-General for Energy; Florika Fink-Hooijer, Director-General of Environment; Kurt Vandenberghe, Director-General Climate Action; and Charlina Vitcheva, Director-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, in addition to representatives from the European External Action Service (EEAS). The discussions focused on advancing joint efforts in water sustainability in the lead-up to 2026 UNWC, broader climate adaptation strategies, mitigating climate change, and enhancing cooperation ahead of the UN Ocean Conference 2025 in France.
The National
05-03-2025
- Politics
- The National
Water scarcity a 'global crisis' that requires international response, UAE official says
Water scarcity is a global crisis, with billions of people lacking access to safe drinking water, Abdulla Balalaa, UAE Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Energy and Sustainability, said on Wednesday. Mr Balalaa, whose country is preparing to host the 2026 UN Water Conference alongside Senegal, pointed to the uneven attention that water issues typically receive on the global stage, underscoring the severe challenges faced by the Middle East. 'We believe that water hasn't been given its weight internationally, and we live in a region that's actually difficult when it comes to water scarcity,' he told The National, adding that high temperatures and low rainfall make for a 'very harsh environment'. The UAE, Mr Balalaa said, is looking to reshape international dialogue on water scarcity by using its unique geographic challenges and its advances in technology to foster global co-operation. 'Globally, over two billion people lack access to safe drinking water, and four billion face water scarcity for at least one month each year. It's a global crisis that demands a global response,' he said. Central to the UAE's strategy is the integration of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals, particularly one focusing on clean water and sanitation for all. 'Water intersects with every aspect of sustainable development, from economic growth and food security to peace and stability,' Mr Balalaa said. 'At the UN Water Conference, we plan to challenge the traditional perception of water merely as infrastructure, advocating instead for its vital role in ensuring global stability and growth.' He said the UAE is aiming for the conference to be inclusive: 'We wanted it to be a solution finder for the water issue. And of course, it has to be results driven.' The response to the coming conference has been overwhelmingly positive, he said. 'We've built a strong foundation of trust and anticipate a collaborative environment where critical water issues can be addressed collectively." As the conference approaches, the UAE is urging the international community to come to the table with optimism and a readiness to implement practical solutions, to ensure that water management practices support sustainability, economic growth and global security. 'We urge the international community to approach this conference with ideas, solutions and the commitment to develop a concrete implementation programme,' Mr Balalaa said. The 2026 UN Water Conference will take place in the UAE from December 2-4.
