Strengthening Climate Resilience in Water Utilities for Better Services and Sustainable Management

• Time: Tuesday, 8 December, 17:15-18:30 GMT+4 

   

• Location: Room 5, Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) 

   

The 2026 UN Water Conference official side event programme discussion brings together governments, water-sector organisations and international partners to discuss how water utilities can become more resilient to climate change while continuing to provide reliable, affordable and sustainable water services. The session examines practical models for advancing more resilient water utility governance, capacity-building, digitalization, partnerships and investment planning. 

The side event is organised by the Estonian Environmental Investment Centre in collaboration with the Estonian Ministry of Climate. Co-organisers include the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, Ministry of Economy and Environment of Ukraine, Government of Flanders, Water Europe and OECD Water Governance Initiative. 

Why this event? 

Water utilities are at the heart of achieving Sustainable Development Goal 6 and ensuring water security for people, economies and ecosystems. Yet in many countries, utilities face growing challenges: ageing infrastructure, increasing climate-related risks, rising operational costs, workforce shortages, stricter environmental requirements and growing expectations from customers. At the same time, investment needs often exceed available public funding, while many utilities struggle to recover costs in a socially acceptable manner. 

These challenges raise a fundamental question: how can water utilities become stronger, more resilient and better equipped to provide reliable, affordable and sustainable services in an increasingly uncertain world? 

Strengthening water utilities is not only about building new infrastructure. It is equally about improving governance, financial sustainability, operational efficiency, asset management and institutional capacity. Utilities need the ability to attract investment, adopt digital technologies, retain skilled professionals and manage risks associated with climate change, cyber threats, war impacts, natural disasters and other disruptions. Resilience must therefore be understood as both physical resilience of infrastructure and institutional resilience of the organizations that operate and maintain it. 

Many countries are also exploring how to achieve greater economies of scale and improve service delivery while maintaining local accountability. This includes questions about cooperation between utilities, regional approaches to service provision, performance benchmarking, regulatory incentives and innovative financing mechanisms. The challenge is to create systems that are efficient enough to mobilize investment and expertise, while remaining responsive to the needs of communities and vulnerable users. 

What this discussion hopes to achieve 

The session translates experiences from different countries and organisations into practical lessons for strengthening water utilities. It will identify approaches that can help link service quality, investment needs and regulatory decisions, and explore the conditions needed for utilities to deliver affordable, water-smart and climate-resilient services. 

As a practical outcome, the session will produce a set of messages on how water utility reform can accelerate the implementation of SDG 6 and ensure the sustainable and resilient management of water utilities in the face of emerging challenges. The discussion also builds on existing Water Action Agenda commitments, including “The European Water Sector Driving the SDGs”, “Build a Water-Smart Society in Europe” and “Implementation of the German National Water Strategy”, as well as the European Water Resilience Strategy. 

Event speakers 

Specific speakers will be shared here in November. Confirmed organisations include: 

Moderator (speaker TBC) 

Government of Germany, Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (speaker TBC) 

Ministry of Economy and Environment of Ukraine (speaker TBC) 

Jo Burns, Flemish Minister for the Environment and Agriculture 

Druk Krol, Executive Director of Water Europe 

Aziza Akhmouch, Head of Division on Cities, Urban Policies and Sustainable Development (OECD)