Mr. President,
Italy aligns itself with the Statement of the European Union and would like to congratulate Senegal and United Arab Emirates for organizing an inclusive and consultative process to select the six themes of the Interactive Dialogues of the 2026 UN Water Conference.
We highlight the need to continue to build upon the achievements of the 2023 UN Water Conference, outlining clear steps to further accelerate progress towards SDG 6.
Achieving SDG 6 means ensuring universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene — especially for those in vulnerable situations. Italy is committed to making this one of the priorities of its development cooperation initiatives.
Through its Plan for Africa – whose one of the pillars is dedicated precisely to water – Italy is investing in water infrastructure, wastewater treatment, and water efficiency technologies, recognizing water as a key driver for development, health, and resilience in local communities.
Furthermore, Italy will host the first Euro Mediterranean Water Forum in Rome in 2026. The Forum, which has previously focused solely on Mediterranean countries, will for the first time include all European and Balkan states and will place particular emphasis on issues related to risk and disaster prevention, as well as the resilience and adaptation of communities to new climate change scenarios.
Training — academic, technical, and professional — is also central to Italy’s development cooperation. Sustainable water management depends also on knowledge transfer and strong local capacities to manage resources autonomously.
In particular, on the themes of the interactive dialogues of the 2026 UN Water Conference, Italy supports the comprehensive approach of the six interactive dialogues proposed. Among them, particular attention is devoted to themes of “Water for Prosperity”, particularly in its connection to the Water-Energy-Food nexus and to wastewater; and of “Water for Cooperation”, as related to transboundary water management; and of “Investments for Water”, in particular as connected to capacity building.
Transboundary and inclusive water governance are vital for peace and resilience. Italy champions international partnerships as a tool for fair, sustainable and cooperative water resource management.
Italy aims to strengthen capacity building efforts connected to water resources management. In this sense, the 2026 UN Water Conference will be a key moment to advance global action for SDG 6.
Italy stands ready to work with all countries to turn the achievement of SDG 6 into reality.
Thank you
