Egypt Backs Gradual Reform of Global Water

Egypt's Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, Hani Sewilam, reaffirmed Egypt's support for an open and inclusive dialogue on strengthening the global water governance system, calling for a gradual approach to institutional reform that builds broad international consensus.

Sewilam made the remarks during a side event organized by Kazakhstan on the sidelines of the ministerial segment of the High-level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. The event was attended by Egypt's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Ehab Awad.

Addressing participants, Sewilam welcomed ongoing international efforts to advance dialogue on water cooperation, stressing the need to improve the effectiveness of global water governance to accelerate progress toward Sustainable Development Goal 6, which aims to ensure the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.

He said Egypt supports exploring options to strengthen the international institutional framework for water, improve coordination among United Nations entities, and enhance the role of member states in global water governance to ensure greater coherence and effectiveness in international action.

"The goal is to adopt practical and effective mechanisms capable of securing broad consensus among UN member states while advancing global cooperation on water issues," Sewilam said.

The minister described the 2026 UN Water Conference as a major implementation milestone for the global water agenda, saying it would provide an important platform to discuss the most effective approaches to strengthening water governance and to lay the foundations for any future institutional reforms.

Sewilam stressed that reforms to the global water governance architecture should be introduced gradually and guided by the outcomes of the 2026 conference.

He also emphasized the importance of building on existing international mechanisms and enhancing their effectiveness rather than creating parallel structures, noting that any reforms should be supported by broad intergovernmental consensus.

"Such an approach would help establish a governance framework that is coherent, effective, accountable, and capable of delivering tangible results for countries facing mounting water challenges," he said.

The High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development is the United Nations' central platform for reviewing progress toward the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals. Water governance has become an increasingly prominent issue on the international agenda amid growing concerns over water scarcity, climate change and rising demand for freshwater resources.