Greetings from the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation, and welcome to the Social Platform for the upcoming 2026 UN Water Conference. Please find below the latest updates and developments in this regard.
On 9-10 July the Presidency of the General Assembly held a Preparatory Meeting in New York, in which the themes of the interactive dialogues were set. We are pleased to share that one of the interactive dialogues will be “Water for people: the human rights to water and sanitation, including for those in vulnerable situations, for healthy societies and economies”. You can see all six themes in the adopted text A/79/L.101.
During the Preparatory Meeting, the Special Rapporteur reminded the organizers that while this reflects meaningful progress beyond the outcomes of the 2023 Water Conference, human rights represent a cross-cutting priority, and should be reflected as such in all Interactive Dialogues. This also calls for the effective participation of rights holders and water defenders in all relevant spaces of the Conference, as the most interested parties and as full-fledged actors within the United Nations.
You can see the interventions of the Special Rapporteur in the Multi-Stakeholder Preparatory Meeting, and during the Brainstorming Session. You can also read the key points and check audio options in Spanish and French in this link.
If you haven´t done so yet, please register here to stay informed about the next steps of the Platform and receive updates on the 2026 Water Conference proceedings, both substantive and logistical. The Special Rapporteur also invites you to share this message among your networks.
With best regards,
Mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation, Pedro Arrojo-Agudo
