The United Nations Secretary-General's Special Envoy on Water, Retno Marsudi, said the inaugural Saudi Water Week provides a timely platform to strengthen partnerships, identify practical solutions to global water challenges, and engage the private sector as a strategic partner in advancing innovation, expertise, and technology. She noted that these efforts come at a time of growing global water risks, as demand for water continues to increase alongside population growth and economic development.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the inaugural Saudi Water Week 2026, Marsudi said the event's focus on innovation and digital transformation reflects the urgent need to leverage advanced technologies to improve water management, enhance efficiency, and strengthen resilience. While solutions are already available, she stressed that their successful implementation depends on capable institutions, enabling policies, increased investment, and a sustained commitment to knowledge sharing and the development of both human and institutional capacities. She further emphasized the need to water must move from the margins of development policy to the center of political, economic and climate decision-making.
Marsudi added that Saudi Water Week serves as an important strategic platform for addressing key questions on how to translate international commitments into tangible action and transform ambitions into measurable results. She said the event provides a valuable opportunity to build momentum toward the 2026 UN Water Conference and beyond, emphasizing that the pathway from Bali 2024 to the 2026 UN Water Conference, followed by Riyadh 2027 and the 2028 UN Water Conference, should be viewed as a coherent implementation pathway that strengthens international cooperation and accelerates collective action.
She concluded by emphasizing that progress in the water sector is fundamental to advancing all the Sustainable Development Goals, noting that the priorities of Saudi Water Week are closely aligned with the broader global agenda. The water sector underpins food production, energy generation, thriving cities, and environmental protection.