UN Office of the Special Adviser on Africa

05/30/2026

And it's a wrap!

The 2026 ended on a high note with the High-Level Policy Dialogue, where a strong call was made to invest in and as that contribute to 's and rather than social services. The High-Level Policy Dialogue also offered practical recommendations for investing in water and sanitation for .

Catch up on the High-Level Policy Dialogue at ⤵️

▶️ English https://bit.ly/HLPDEng
▶️ French https://bit.ly/HLPD26Fr

05/29/2026

!

🌍Share your ideas on putting 🚰and at the centre of 's and .

Watch live or come in-person

▶️UN Web TV https://bit.ly/HLPDUNWeb
▶️YouTube English https://bit.ly/HLPDEng
▶️YouTube French https://bit.ly/HLPD26Fr

Starting soon⏳

🚰Take part. Help shape the future and contribute to and management that builds ⤵️

🗓️29 May |⏰10 am New York | 5 pm Nairobi | 4 pm Cairo
📍Conference Room 4, UN Headquarters
💻 Online: ▶️https://bit.ly/HLPDUNWeb
▶️Eng https://bit.ly/HLPDEng | ▶️Fr https://bit.ly/HLPD26Fr

05/29/2026

Starting soon⏳

🚰Take part. Help shape the future and contribute to and management that builds ⤵️

🗓️29 May |⏰10 am New York | 5 pm Nairobi | 4 pm Cairo
📍Conference Room 4, UN Headquarters
💻 Online: ▶️https://bit.ly/HLPDUNWeb
▶️Eng https://bit.ly/HLPDEng | ▶️Fr https://bit.ly/HLPD26Fr

05/28/2026

🌍Shape the Future: Participate in the High-Level Policy Dialogue.

🚰Contribute to discussions on practical steps for and management that enhances , , , , and in Africa.

📅Friday, 29 May
⏰10:00 am New York | 5 pm Nairobi | 4 pm Cairo
📍In-person Conference Room 4, UN Headquarters
💻Watch online on UN Web TV https://bit.ly/HLPDUNWeb or YouTube English https://bit.ly/HLPDEng or French https://bit.ly/HLPD26Fr

✏️Register https://bit.ly/ADS2026hlpd

05/21/2026

The ends with the High-Level Policy Dialogue focused on the theme "Water and Sanitation for Life: Harnessing Water Resources for the Africa we Want"

The dialogue will bring Academics, , from and the diaspora to discuss actionable solutions and consolidate recommendations from the into a to make and the goals and aspirations of related to a reality.

Participate and contribute to building ⤵️

🗓️ Friday, 29 May
🕙 10:00 am New York
📍 In-Person, Room 4, United Nations Headquarters, New York
📺 Online on UN Web Tv https://bit.ly/HLPDUNWeb | YouTube English https://bit.ly/HLPDEng | YouTube French https://bit.ly/HLPD26Fr
📝 Register at https://bit.ly/ADS2026hlpd

05/19/2026

🌍 This week at the , young people take charge to talk about "Water and for , , and ."

🚰 Water is a catalyst for inclusive , economic diversification, environmental stewardship, and durable peace. It affects all aspects of life and everything societies need to thrive.

6️⃣0️⃣% of 's population is under the age of 25. By 2035, Africa is expected to add more young people to the workforce annually than the rest of the world.

🌍 Africa's key sectors are heavily dependent on reliable water and sanitation.

💧Youth stand to benefit the most from improved access to and sanitation, and to be worst affected when systems fail.

Join the conversation and help build ⤵️

🚰Youth Stage
🗓️Thursday, 21 May
⏰9:00 am New York | 4 pm Nairobi | 3 pm Cairo
📱Register https://bit.ly/ADS2026Youth3
ℹ️ More information https://bit.ly/ads_2026

05/17/2026

🚰 Water and sanitation are no longer sectoral development concerns.

They are strategic determinants of Africa’s , , transition, and .

💧 Persistent deficits in safely managed water and sanitation services undermine productivity, exacerbate fragility, constrain energy and food systems, and can potentially amplify conflict risks, particularly under accelerating climate change.

💦 Week3️⃣of the discusses the sub-theme: Water and Sanitation for Peace, Energy, and Food Security.

🌊 Join us as we take a deep dive into this crucial topic and explore how and can be catalysts for Africa's stability, resilience, and shared prosperity.

Participate in the webinar ⤵️

🗓️Wednesday, 20 May
⏰9am New York | 4pm Nairobi | 3pm Cairo
📝 Register at http://bit.ly/ADS2026webinar3

05/15/2026

🌍Week 3️⃣ of the discusses: Water and Sanitation for Peace, Energy, and Food Security.

💧 is a catalyst for inclusive , economic diversification, environmental stewardship, and durable .

Building resilience requires strengthening national systems and institutions to manage strategically through inclusive , investment, and integration with , , and policies.

Strengthening African leadership and partnerships in the sustainable management of 's water resources is essential to advancing and the , ensuring that water contributes fully to Africa’s long-term economic transformation and .

We are pleased to partner with African Union African Development Bank Group UNESCO UNICEF and Institute for Security Studies (ISS) Africa to lead discussions on this topic.

🚰 Be a part of this important discussion on water, which affects every aspect of life across Africa.

Join the conversation and contribute your views ⤵️

🚰 Webinar
📆 Wednesday, 20 May
🕗 9:00 am New York | 4 pm Nairobi | 3 pm Cairo
📝 Register at https://bit.ly/ADS2026webinar3

🚰 Youth Stage
📆 Thursday, 21 May
🕗 9:00 am New York | 4 pm Nairobi | 3 pm Cairo
📝 Register at https://bit.ly/ADS2026Youth3

ℹ️ More information https://bit.ly/ads_2026

05/13/2026

🌍By 2035, more young Africans will enter the workforce annually compared to the rest of the world combined.

🚰Investing in and is essential, given the heavy dependence of Africa's key economic sectors and impending rapid urbanization on these two resources.

🚰Reliable and well-managed water and sanitation systems are central to 's economic growth and urbanization.

🚰The ingenuity and innovation of Africa's are pivotal to robust transformation and .

🚰The second Youth Stage will focus on the sub-theme: Water and Sanitation as Drivers for Economic Transformation and Sustainable Urbanization.

💧Discussions will assess strategic water and sanitation management as drivers of the continent’s economic transformation.

Register, participate and contribute to the discussion: ⤵️

🚰Youth Stage
📅14 May
🕗 9am New York | 4pm Nairobi | 3pm Cairo
📝 Register at https://bit.ly/ADS2026Youth2

ℹ️ More information https://bit.ly/ads_2026

05/12/2026

The enters week 2️⃣, with calls for a shift from treating and as to investing in them as core economic that enables long-term prosperity and structural transformation.

This week focuses on the sub-theme: Water and Sanitation as Drivers for Economic Transformation and Sustainable Urbanization.

🚰 Water security underpins industrial value chains, agricultural productivity, energy production, sustainable urbanization and fiscal efficiency in public health systems. Up to 7️⃣5️⃣per cent of employment across depends on water-reliant sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing, energy and construction.

🌍 Africa is also at the cusp of a decisive urban and economic century, with the number of urban residents projected to double from around 700 million to 1.4 billion by 2050.

📈 This transformation offers major opportunities for industrialization, job creation, regional integration and climate-resilient growth.

⚠️ BUT

🚰 Realising these opportunities depends on reliable, well-managed water and sanitation systems.

🚰 Water-secure and climate-resilient cities can become powerful engines of economic transformation, reducing production costs, strengthening value chains, and attracting investment.

Join the discussion ⤵️

📆 Wednesday, 13 May
🕗 9:00 am EST | 4pm Nairobi | 3pm Cairo
📝 Register at http://bit.ly/ADS2026webinar2

ℹ️ More information https://bit.ly/ads_2026