Abu Dhabi: Ahmed Al Kaabi, Assistant Under-Secretary for the Electricity, Water, and Future Energy Sector at the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure (MoEI), inaugurated the Water Conference, hosted on the sidelines of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week 2025. The event brought together global leaders to address the critical challenges facing governments and societies in arid countries around water and food security.
According to Emirates News Agency, in his opening speech, Al Kaabi emphasized the importance of managing the resource nexus effectively to ensure long-term sustainability and secure the world's water, energy, and food needs amid growing demand and climate challenges. He highlighted that the UAE is actively working on addressing these challenges through integrated resource planning, circular economy approaches, and investing in innovative solutions to ensure equitable access to water, energy, and food for current and future generations.
Al Kaabi pointed out that the sharp increase in global water needs due to population growth, and food and industrial expansion has brought water resource sustainability to the forefront of the international agenda. He noted that in the UAE, water remains a national priority due to scarce natural resources and high developmental demand.
He detailed current UAE water sector policies aimed at developing sustainable water supply sources, including expanding membrane-based desalination technologies, increasing renewable energy usage, investing in technologies that enhance water usage efficiency, reducing non-revenue water, and maximizing treated wastewater re-use.
Additionally, Al Kaabi discussed the UAE's Water Security Strategy, which focuses on the readiness and sustainability of the entire water supply chain, from production to socioeconomics. He shared recent statistics showing the UAE's total installed capacity of seawater desalination plants at 1,855 MIGD and the treatment of 823 MCM of wastewater with over 70 percent water-reuse. The UAE also boasts 100 percent access to clean drinking water and adequate sanitation.
He highlighted that the UAE achieved a high score of 83 percent in the implementation of the Integrated Water Resources Management Index of SDG 6, with plans to improve this result by aligning the country's water, energy, environment, and food strategies.
Al Kaabi concluded by announcing that the UAE is preparing to co-host the 2026 UN Water Conference with Senegal. The conference aims to accelerate the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 6 and enhance efforts for sustainable water resource management, reflecting the UAE's commitment to facilitating dialogue and partnerships to address water-related issues.