In the run-up to the United Nations Water Conference, which will take place in Abu Dhabi in December 2026, a High-Level Preparatory Meeting is being held in the Abdou DIOUF International Conference Centre (CICAD) at Diamniadio on 26th and 27th January, 2026 in Senegal. A delegation of the Niger Basin Authority (NBA), led by His Excellency the Executive Secretary, Mr. Kocou Armand HOUANYE, is in attendance. The other members of the delegation are the Director of the Niger Basin Observatory, Mr. Didier Seyive ZINSOU, the Head of the GIZ “Support to NBA” Project, Mrs. Hanna ALBREICHT, and the Technical Advisor, Mrs. Nana Aichatou SALISSOU MAIGARI.
The opening speech of the High-Level Preparatory Meeting was delivered by the President of the Republic of Senegal, His Excellency Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar FAYE.
Prior to that, participants followed presentations by a series of high-level partners from the international water Community.
The High-Level Preparatory Meeting in Dakar is a major event in the run-up to the December 2026 Conference, which will lay the foundations for the 2026 UN Water Conference.
The overall objectives of the preparatory meeting are:
- Contribute to the effectiveness of preparations for the Conference;
- Review progress and delays in achieving SDG 6;
- Explore ideas for accelerating the achievement of internationally agreed water-related goals and targets, in particular those in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
