Stepping Stones: The 2025 Sector Ministers’ Meeting & the 2026 UN Water Conference

Héctor Gómez Hernández, Permanent Representative of Spain to the United Nations, speaks at the Preparatory meeting of the 2026 United Nations Water Conference to Accelerate the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 6 on July 9.

“Spain believes that ensuring access to water and sanitation as human rights requires an integrated approach, particularly in the context of climate change. Indeed improving access to water and sanitation requires addressing water scarcity and pollution with an integrated water management framework.

In October this year, Spain will host the Ministerial Meeting with Sanitation and Water for All in collaboration with UNICEF. This important meeting will bring together global leaders in Madrid with the aim of precisely improving integration of the water, sanitation and climate sectors, giving particular attention to human rights and sustainable finance. Ministers will present the high-level leaders pact on Water Security and Resilience to translate political commitment to concrete action.

These are all important steps to the UN Conference in 2026.”