Retno Marsudi, the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on Water, said that the “Cairo Water Week” represents an important contribution to the global dialogue and an opportunity to provide practical answers to water challenges, stressing the need to activate and share innovation instead of marginalizing or monopolizing it.

During the opening of the eighth Cairo Water Week, the envoy identified four key points for an effective joint partnership, starting with: First, fieldwork, where the week serves as a platform bringing together the European Union and Africa, two of the regions most affected by water challenges.

She continued: Therefore, “Cairo Water Week” must focus on turning global commitments into practical actions on the ground, achieving the true goal of the week.

She emphasized the importance of being human-centered, where the week should witness the participation of various parties, not only governments and international organizations but also the private sector and civil society, to stimulate innovation in water and climate fields.

In the third point, she called for mobilizing innovative financing to close the investment gap in the water sector with smarter mechanisms, such as green bonds, water resilience funds against climate change, and blended finance mechanisms, enabling the attraction of all capital, public and private, especially benefiting the world’s most needy communities.

She confirmed the importance of water working as an integrated system, where “Cairo Water Week” should be seen as part of an integrated system to enhance global water action.

In this context, the envoy demanded that the week’s outcomes contribute to supporting preparations for the UN Water Conference in Senegal in 2026, the mid-term review of Africa Agenda 2063 in Cairo, the expected launch of the UN Water Fund by next September, and other upcoming international initiatives.

Marsudi renewed her commitment to work for the success of the week and support global efforts to place the water issue at the forefront of the international political agenda, calling to make “Cairo Water Week” not only a platform for ideas but a cradle for the innovative solutions the world needs, for Egypt, Africa, and the shared planet.