Event details:
In-Person: CR-F, UNHQ, New York (Open to registered participants with UN Access)
Online: via Teams
UN Water Conference Academic Hub: Mobilizing Research and Evidence for Effective Outcomes
Launched at the Dakar Preparatory Meeting for the 2026 United Nations Water Conference in January 2026, the UN Water Conference Academic Hub is a joint initiative co-led by UNU, UNESCO and UNITAR, in collaboration with UN DESA and other members of the Task Force on “Water Action Decade Implementation,” as well as UN-Water Members and Partners. The Academic Hub provides a collaborative platform to mobilize knowledge, expertise and diverse perspectives in support of the 2026 Conference (follow us on LinkedIn). It offers a clear and accessible entry point for contributors to engage meaningfully in the Conference process and to help shape its outcomes through evidence-based inputs.
Water lies at the core of the 2030 Agenda, and accelerating progress on SDG 6 requires a stronger science–policy interface that translates the best available knowledge into effective policy action. As the international community prepares for the 2026 UN Water Conference, the Academic Hub serves as a structured, inclusive and solutions-oriented mechanism for mobilizing global academic expertise and ensuring that scientific evidence informs multilateral decision-making. Organized around the six Interactive Dialogue themes of the Conference, the Hub also promotes integrated approaches that strengthen linkages between SDG 6, other Sustainable Development Goals, and climate-related risks.
In the lead-up to the 2026 UN Water Conference, the in-depth review of Sustainable Development Goal 6 at the 2026 High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) represents a critical platform for evidence-informed dialogue. It helps ensure that discussions on water and sanitation, as well as their interlinkages across the 2030 Agenda, are grounded in robust and policy-relevant research.
Against this backdrop, the UN Water Conference Academic Hub serves as a bridge between the HLPF and the broader preparatory process for the 2026 Conference. This session, co-organized by Albania, Japan, Tajikistan, Senegal, South Africa, SIWI, UNU-INWEH, UN-Water and UNCRD-UN DESA, will showcase early contributions from the Academic Hub, highlight practical entry points for integrating academic perspectives into the Conference process, and demonstrate how evidence-based insights can strengthen the in-depth review of SDG 6 and inform the Interactive Dialogues and outcomes of the 2026 Conference. The session will further explore how academic institutions, research organizations and other stakeholders can contribute knowledge, innovation and practical solutions to address water-related challenges, including those linked to climate change, disaster risk reduction and sustainable development, while identifying pathways for sustained academic engagement throughout the Conference preparatory process and beyond.
In doing so, the session will strengthen multi-stakeholder engagement and contribute to advancing awareness, ambition and implementation of the 2030 Agenda in the lead-up to the 2026 Conference, while providing concrete inputs to the World Water Week 2026 session on the Academic Hub in Stockholm.
Please register for online or in-person participation:
