Statement by the Republic of Slovenia at the Informal UNGA Plenary meeting to promote the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 6: Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all

Mr. President, Excellencies,

Slovenia aligns with the EU statement, joint statement of Transboundary Water Coalition, as well as with the cross-regional statement delivered by Egypt.

Slovenia strongly supports the themes of Interactive Dialogues at the 2026 UN Water Conference as proposed by the co-hosts and adopted earlier today. We find that they are a genuine reflection of the inputs by member states and stakeholders within a transparent and inclusive consultation process. We call upon the future co-chairs of interactive dialogues to follow their inclusive approach, consulting transparently with member states and stakeholders in the preparation of the dialogues to make them truly interactive and action-oriented.

We also support the choice of crosscutting issues, particularly human rights, gender, governance, climate, and conflict prevention and peace.

Allow me to elaborate Slovenia’s considerations ahead of dialogues 1, 4 and 5.

In Dialogue 1, we welcome a strengthened focus on inequalities, human rights and water-related risks in humanitarian and fragile contexts. In the 120 ongoing armed conflicts, millions of civilians are denied their right to water. To reverse this unacceptable trend, we delivered on our Water Action Agenda commitment and co-founded together with Geneva Water Hub and Switzerland the Global Alliance for Sparing Water from Armed Conflict. And we joined a complementary commitment, the WASH Roadmap and its Call to Action.

In Dialogue 4, we welcome a strong focus on transboundary water cooperation and inclusive governance. With 40 % of the global population residing in transboundary river basins, effective management of these waters within well-regulated legal and institutional frameworks is an obvious choice.

Increasing number of countries across the globe are recognizing the value of cooperative legal frameworks such as the Water Convention, which Slovenia is proud to chair. Seven countries acceded to the convention since the 2023 Water Conference.

Probably the most important discussion at the conference will be the one in Dialogue 5, which concerns the future of water. With Agenda 2030 expiring in five years and SDG 6 nowhere near to being reached by then, how do we go forward? How do we put water on the agenda of other intergovernmental processes when we lack a reference point? The 2026 conference does not have a negotiated outcome. The 2028 conference will take stock of the Water Decade. Therefore, the next Water Conference be it in 2030 or 2031 must come up with an agreed holistic and actionable vision on water.

The Special Envoy of the UN Secretary General on Water has a crucial role to play in the process leading up to the conference. We need an advocacy champion, a motivator, a driver uniting us behind a shared objective towards not just another conference, but a transformative moment for water action.

We look forward to in-depth discussions on the six interactive dialogues at the International High-Level meeting in Dakar in January.

I thank you.

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