The Seventh Special Thematic Session on Water and Disasters (STSWD7) was held at the ECOSOC Chamber under the theme “Water and Disasters for Cooperation and Partnerships.” This biennial session, launched in 2013, was co-organized by the United Nations Centre for Regional Development (UNCRD), the Permanent Missions of Egypt, Indonesia, Japan, Republic of Korea, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Tajikistan, and other partners. STSWD7 served as a preparatory milestone toward the 2026 UN Water Conference, building on the outcomes of the 2023 Conference.
Speakers included the His Majesty the Emperor of Japan (special address by video), former Heads of State and Presidents of the General Assembly of the United Nations, the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy on Water, and ministers, including from the United Arab Emirates, a co-host of the 2026 Conference. The Japanese Vice Minister, who spoke as a panelist, directly conveyed the session’s outcome to the President of General Assembly (PGA)’s preparatory meeting the following day.
At the PGA’s meeting, the Special Envoy, member states, and stakeholders echoed the session’s emphasis on “cooperation and partnerships.” Likewise, the outcome is expected to feed into various milestones in the lead-up to the 2026 Conference, as well as other key global processes. It will help advance water-related cooperation, recognized as one of the Conference’s interactive dialogue themes, as a critical means to achieving disaster risk reduction, sustainable development, and long-term peace.
Copyrights of photos: UN photos
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UN Web TV Link: https://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k1d/k1dkowl2rt