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View all search resultsWhy water could help restore trust in global cooperation
Water can become an example of how multilateralism can still deliver tangible results in people’s daily lives.
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Farmers loosen soil using water flow from an irrigation canal in Batang regency, Central Java, in an aerial photo released on May 19, 2026. Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman has said the government is allocating around Rp 5 trillion (US$282.28 million) for irrigation programs and the distribution of superior seeds to address potential drought caused by the upcoming El Niño weather system. (Antara/Harviyan Perdana Putra)
A
s I travel across regions and speak with governments, communities, businesses and young people, I hear the same concern again and again: the world feels increasingly fragmented and uncertain. Climate shocks are intensifying. Economic pressures are growing. Trust in multilateral cooperation is under strain.
And yet, one issue still has the power to bring people together: water.
Water connects every aspect of our lives. It shapes our health, our food systems, our energy production, our cities, our economies and our ecosystems. It also reveals, perhaps more clearly than any other issue, how interconnected our futures really are.
This is why I believe the 2026 High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) comes at such an important moment.
This year, United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 6 (ensuring availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all) will receive an in-depth review. But this conversation is about far more than water alone. It is about whether we can still deliver on sustainable development in a world facing overlapping crises.
Today, billions of people still lack access to safe drinking water or sanitation. Rivers, aquifers and ecosystems are under growing pressure. Floods and droughts are becoming more frequent and severe. At the same time, demand for water continues to rise across agriculture, energy, industry and cities.
But the challenge is not only about scarcity or infrastructure. In many places, the real issue is fragmentation.
