GWPO and partners launch Inaugural Global Ambassadors’ Forum for Water and Economic Diplomacy at World Water Week 2026
Representatives from nearly 30 countries attended the launch of the Global Ambassadors’ Forum for Water and Economic Diplomacy on the sidelines of World Water Week in Stockholm on 25 August 2026.
Global Water Partnership Organisation (GWPO), in collaboration with the Governments of South Africa and Namibia, and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), convened the event with the goal of mobilising and equipping ambassadors worldwide as champions of water investments, economic diplomacy, trade, and international cooperation.
“The world faces a US$140 billion annual shortfall in water investment for water and sanitation alone if we are to achieve water security for all by 2030,” said Alex Simalabwi, CEO and Executive Secretary of GWPO. “Water diplomacy can help overcome political and institutional barriers that stand in the way of water investment by strengthening cooperation and knowledge sharing, elevating water in national and international agendas, and connecting political commitments with finance and implementation,” added Mr. Simalabwi
The inaugural event was attended by ambassadors and senior diplomats from close to 30 countries from across Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean: Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Brazil, Chile, China, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ethiopia, France, Guatemala, Hungary, India, Japan, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Panama, Philippines, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Spain, Tanzania, Turkey, Uzbekistan, and Zambia.
Ambassadors’ Forum widely supported and welcomed
Ambassadors, Deputy Heads of Mission, and senior diplomats expressed enthusiasm and support for this new non-binding, voluntary platform to be convened by GWPO, and partners, alongside World Water Week each year, as well as other key development and water events globally.
“The presence of representatives from nearly 30 countries at the launch shows that water is no longer a peripheral issue in diplomacy — it is becoming central to how nations think about security, trade, and cooperation. This Forum gives that momentum a permanent home,” said Mr Simalabwi.
As convenor and secretariat of the Forum, GWPO will support diplomatic champions with evidence-based guidance on policy and investment priorities and connect country-led investment pipelines with development and climate finance actors.
GWPO’s long track record as an intergovernmental organisation helps it guide continuity between diplomatic commitments and practical partnerships, finance, and implementation.
Towards the 2026 UN Water Conference
At the forum’s launch, the upcoming 2026 UN Water Conference (8–10 December, Abu Dhabi, UAE) was highlighted as a key opportunity to elevate global and national ambition for water investments.
Dr Mohamed Diatta, Senegal’s Sherpa for the 2026 UN Water Conference, urged countries “to engage actively in the upcoming 2026 UN Water Conference in Abu Dhabi so they can deliver meaningful outcomes for the world.”
Forum aligned to global commitments, processes and priorities
The Global Ambassadors’ Forum for Water and Economic Diplomacy builds on global commitments and processes including the UN Pact for the Future, the 2025 G20 Leaders’ Declaration on Water, the UN Financing for Development Agenda and Sevilla Commitment, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and Paris Agreement, the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, the Global Oceans Agenda, the Sustainable Development Goals, and successive UN Water Conferences.
A diplomatic roundtable was first convened by GWPO and partners on 22 August 2025 in Stockholm, alongside World Water Week, with 25 participating countries; and again on 2 October 2025 in Geneva with 15 participating countries at the WMO headquarters. The Global Ambassadors’ Forum for Water and Economic Diplomacy that launched on 25 August 2026 builds on these past efforts.
Towards implementation of the G20 Presidential Legacy Initiative
The Forum was preceded by a High-Level Strategic Partners Leadership Segment that (1) addressed water commitments of the 2025 G20 Leaders Declaration towards the 2026 UN Water Conference; (2) showcased efforts to improve investment opportunities from across Africa, Asia Pacific, and Latin America and the Caribbean; and (3) invited discussion on how to accelerate finance for water investments.
Speaking at the Strategic Partners Leadership Segment, Ms Nchedi Moripe, Chief Director at the Department of Water and Sanitation, Republic of South Africa, said, “Political leaders need to be part of the decision-making. That is why South Africa elevated the water agenda to the highest level with the launch of the Global Water Investment Programme (GIP), as a G20 Presidential Legacy Initiative in 2025 by President Cyril Ramaphosa.” She was speaking on behalf of Dr. Risimati Mathye, Deputy Director-General for Water Services Management, Department of Water and Sanitation.
Eng. Maria Amakali, Director of Water Resource Management at the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform, Republic of Namibia, also expressed support for the of G20 Presidential Legacy Initiative and emphasized the need for “stronger partnerships that can guide more water projects from preparation to financing.”
The interim outcomes of the continental Africa Water Investment Programme Index (AIPI) were presented by Mr. Ralph Philip, Senior AIP advisor to GWP Africa. The AIPI – a composite index assessing countries’ readiness to plan, finance, execute and sustain water investments across four equally weighted pillars – places the average water investment readiness score at around 38–40 points out of 100, across the 30 reporting African countries. This signals that important institutional foundations are in place, but that progress in investment and delivery is still required to meet 2030 targets. Read more about the results here.
Vivek Raman, Principal Urban Development Specialist at Asian Development Bank (ADB), presented the Asian Water Development Outlook 2025, which found that while 2.7 billion people across Asia and the Pacific have escaped extreme water insecurity since 2013, those gains are now at risk from ecosystem decline, intensifying climate hazards, and over US$1.5billion annual water infrastructure investment gap. The ADB has a wide operational scope with 69 members, 50 of which are from the region.
The Strategic Partners Leadership Segment agreed on the need to sustain the momentum from the G20 Presidential Legacy Initiative, the GIP, through to the 2026 UN Water Conference and beyond.
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