Kazakhstan Promotes the Strengthening of the UN Water Architecture

On the margins of the United Nations High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the UN hosted a thematic event entitled “Strengthening Global Water Governance: Establishing an International Water Organization under the Auspices of the United Nations?”

Opening the event, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the United Nations Kairat Umarov noted that the continued fragmentation of the international water architecture limits the ability of the global community to respond effectively to mounting water-related challenges. In this context, the initiative of President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to establish an International Water Organization under the auspices of the United Nations was presented as an open invitation to an inclusive dialogue on enhancing the coherence, effectiveness and accountability of global water governance.

Participants exchanged views on the existing shortcomings of the current UN water architecture, opportunities to strengthen the role of the United Nations in the international water governance system, and prospects for developing a more coordinated, effective and Member State-accountable institutional mechanism. Particular attention was given to the need for a comprehensive approach to water-related challenges, taking into account their close interlinkages with climate change, food and energy security, public health, economic development and international stability.

The event followed the first round of international consultations on Kazakhstan’s initiative, held in Astana on 23 April 2026 within the framework of the Regional Ecological Summit. The discussion in New York provided an opportunity to present the initiative to a broader range of Member States, United Nations entities and international partners. The proposals and expert assessments put forward during the event will contribute to further discussions on possible formats and mechanisms for the institutional strengthening of global water governance, including in the context of the 2026 UN Water Conference and the formulation of the post-2030 development agenda.

On the margins of the event, the Kazakh delegation also held bilateral meetings with Kaveh Madani, Director of the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health, and Miriam Haritz, German Water Director at the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety. The parties discussed promising areas of cooperation, including efforts to advance multilateral dialogue on the institutional strengthening of the UN water architecture.