The International Desalination and Reuse Association (IDRA) reinforced the urgency of accelerating scalable water solutions during its participation in the High-Level Dakar Preparatory Meeting for the 2026 United Nations Water Conference, hosted by the Governments of Senegal and the United Arab Emirates to be held this December in Abu Dhabi.

Speaking during the Interactive Dialogue Round Table (b) on “Water for Prosperity,” the IDRA Secretary General emphasized that the technologies needed to address global water scarcity already exist and will continually improve in efficiency, clean energy, and cost — and that the critical challenge now lies in mobilizing governance, financing, capacity building and partnerships to deploy these solutions at scale.

“It is a privilege to join this important preparatory process in Dakar and to engage with governments, UN partners, and stakeholders as a new member of the UN-Water family on behalf of the global IDRA community,” said the IDRA Secretary General. “With more than 320 million cubic meters of water produced daily worldwide through desalination and reuse, the question is no longer whether solutions are possible — it is how quickly we can organize to scale them to meet both municipal and industrial demand.”

The numbers that should alarm every government

The scale of the crisis is now beyond dispute: 

• 2.2 billion people lack safely managed drinking water; 3.4 billion lack safely managed sanitation (UN SDG 6 Progress Report 2025) 
• By 2030, global freshwater demand will outstrip supply by 40 percent if current patterns continue (UN International Resource Panel) 
• Closing the €6.7 trillion global water infrastructure gap could unlock €8.4 trillion in GDP growth and create 206 million jobs (World Economic Forum, January 2026) 
• Yet water receives less than 1 percent of all climate-tech investment, and only 2–3 percent of global water investment comes from the private sector (World Bank) 

“These aren’t projections for our grandchildren,” McCarthy said. “Half the world’s population already experiences severe water scarcity for at least part of the year. We’re managing a crisis, not preventing one.” 

The financing model is broken 

Global water infrastructure requires an estimated $6.7 trillion by 2030 — rising to $22.6 trillion by 2050 (World Bank). Currently, more than 90 percent of that burden falls on public budgets — a ratio that cannot deliver the scale required. 

The return on investment is proven: every euro invested in water infrastructure generates €1.30 in GDP and creates 31.8 jobs per €1 million (WEF). Water and sanitation investments in emerging economies create up to 35 jobs per $1 million invested (IMF). 

McCarthy pointed to public-private partnerships already proving the model works:

Morocco’s renewable-powered desalination program, Saudi Arabia’s expanding PPP portfolio, and Senegal’s own 400,000 cubic meter per day desalination project now approaching financial close. 

“Senegal is demonstrating what’s possible when governments create the right frameworks for private capital,” McCarthy noted. “This isn’t theory.”

Accelerating Public-Private Partnerships

Addressing the role of public-private partnerships (PPPs), IDRA highlighted the growing financing gap facing global water infrastructure. The world requires an estimated $7 trillion in investment by 2030, while current annual spending remains far below what is needed. At present, more than 90 percent of water infrastructure investment comes from the public sector, with private participation still limited.

“PPPs are no longer theoretical models — they are delivering real infrastructure today,” the Secretary General noted. Examples cited included Morocco’s large-scale renewable-powered desalination program, Saudi Arabia’s expanding PPP portfolio, and Senegal’s flagship 400,000 cubic meter per day desalination project advancing toward financial close.

IDRA also emphasized the importance of engaging emerging water-intensive sectors, including data centers and digital infrastructure. “Industry must take ownership of its water footprint through stewardship, circular water operations, and on-site reuse,” the Secretary General stated. “This is not charity — it is sound business practice and essential for long-term resilience.”

Reuse barriers are political, not technical 

IDRA presented findings from its Global Dialogue on Water Reuse, conducted with the WateReuse Association across 18 countries. The conclusion: the barriers to scaling water reuse are institutional and social, not technological. 

Global wastewater reuse accounts for just 12 percent of municipal freshwater withdrawals worldwide (WEF). Israel reuses 90 percent of its wastewater for agriculture. Singapore’s NEWater now supplies 40 percent of national demand. The gap isn’t capability — it’s commitment. 

Building momentum toward Abu Dhabi 

The Dakar meeting forms part of the preparatory process for the UN Water Conference in Abu Dhabi this December — the first time member states have agreed by consensus on thematic priorities for a UN water conference, signalling a shift from commitments to implementation. 

IDRA highlighted the momentum-building pathway toward the 2026 UN Water Conference, noting that the IDRA World Congress in Riyadh this November, hosted by the Saudi Water Authority and held under the patronage of the Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture, will serve as a major global convening platform for public and private sector leaders, researchers, and policymakers. The Congress will help accelerate concrete solutions ahead of the UN Water Conference in Abu Dhabi this December.

“These two historic gatherings, only weeks apart, offer an unprecedented opportunity to move from dialogue to implementation,” the Secretary General stated.

A Call to Action

Closing the intervention, IDRA reaffirmed its commitment to supporting governments, development partners, and industry in advancing scalable water solutions.

“Water is life, dignity, and the foundation of prosperity,” the Secretary General concluded. “The solutions exist — integrated management, stewardship, desalination, reuse, renewable energy. What is needed now is political will, financing innovation, capacity building, and collective commitment. IDRA stands ready to work with partners worldwide to deliver results.”

Media contact: 
communications@idrawater.org

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