The UAE Embassy in Beijing, the UAE Consulate General in Guangzhou and Sun Yat-sen University co-hosted the "Green Bays, Shared Future: UAE–GBA Water and Sustainability Dialogue—Advancing Towards the 2026 UN Water Conference" on October 27, 2026.
Held at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, the event brought together over 170 representatives of government, academia, research institutions, businesses and financial institutions from the UAE and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA). It aimed to strengthen exchanges and build momentum toward the upcoming 2026 UN Water Conference, which the UAE will co-host with Senegal in Abu Dhabi from December 8 to 10, 2026.
Water is life. It is the foundation for human dignity, for collective stability, and for prosperity. It is the invisible thread connecting everyone and everything, breathing life into communities and cities. Against a backdrop of growing water scarcity, climate pressures and rising food and energy demand, the event explored how international cooperation, scientific innovation and investment can help safeguard water resources, strengthen food security and support sustainable economic development.
In his opening remarks, Professor Tang Hongwu, president of Sun Yat-sen University and Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, highlighted that the GBA's strengths in green technology and water governance align closely with the UAE's vision for water security and net-zero emissions, and that the dialogue would bring industry and academia closer together, turning local innovations into practical results for water cooperation between the two countries.
His Excellency Abdulla Ahmed Balalaa, UAE Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Energy and Sustainability, addressed the event virtually. He emphasized that the UAE, as a co-host of the upcoming 2026 UN Water Conference, is working closely with international partners to elevate water on the global agenda, mobilize vital investment, and advance practical solutions that accelerate progress toward Sustainable Development Goal 6: ensuring the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. Linking the Guangzhou dialogue to these wider global preparations, he encouraged the GBA to play an active part in the conference in Abu Dhabi.
Her Excellency Mariam Alshamsi, UAE Consul General in Guangzhou, highlighted the UAE's experience in smart water management, green finance and sustainable development, and expressed the hope that stronger knowledge sharing and closer partnerships with the GBA would advance innovative responses to global water challenges.
Her Excellency Ayesha Al Ateeqi, chief executive officer of the Mohamed bin Zayed Water Initiative, delivered the keynote address for the session on water security and green finance. The Initiative, launched in 2024, works to raise awareness of water scarcity and accelerate the development and application of solutions that can expand access to affordable and sustainable water services. Its participation underlined the UAE's commitment to tackling global water scarcity through technological innovation, investment and international cooperation.
Professor Jiang Changshun, member of the Leadership Group of the Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, gave a featured expert presentation on China–UAE tropical agricultural science and technology cooperation. In 2019, during an official visit to China, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan—then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and now President of the UAE—gifted 100,000 date palm seedlings to China and the Chinese people. Professor Jiang cited this date palm cooperation as a practical example of how the UAE and China are combining their complementary strengths to advance agricultural research and sustainable development, pointing to the China–UAE Date Palm Friendship Forest in Hainan as a tangible symbol of bilateral agricultural cooperation.
Across three thematic dialogues—"Water Security and Green Finance," "Water–Food Nexus and Food Security," and "Water–Energy Nexus and Sustainability"—experts and industry representatives from the UAE and the GBA shared their experience in desalination, wastewater reuse, water-efficient agriculture and smart water systems. The discussions covered how green finance can support wider deployment of water technologies, how agricultural innovation can improve productivity while conserving water and how coordinated water and energy planning can strengthen efficiency and resilience. By bringing key players together and linking the UAE's experience of tackling water scarcity with the GBA's research, technology and manufacturing capabilities, the dialogue gave institutions and businesses a platform to explore practical cooperation.
Networking activities and an Emirati cultural program complemented the dialogue, giving participants the chance to exchange ideas, make connections and deepen cultural understanding between the two countries.
The event was supported by the Mohamed bin Zayed Water Initiative, Abu Dhabi Investment Office, Fujairah Municipality, Silal, Khalifa University, Emirates NBD, Al Foah, Emirates, DCT Abu Dhabi, Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Guangdong Chamber of International Commerce, Shenzhen Water and Environment Group, BGI Group, the Ministry of Natural Resources' Institute of Seawater Desalination and Multipurpose Utilization in Tianjin, the Urban Planning & Design Institute of Shenzhen, XAG and Foshan Xianhu Laboratory.
Building on the dialogue, the UAE Embassy in Beijing, the UAE Consulate General in Guangzhou and Sun Yat-sen University look forward to facilitating further exchanges between Emirati and Chinese partners and encouraging participation in the 2026 UN Water Conference in Abu Dhabi, in support of collective action toward a more water-secure and sustainable future.
Reporter: Guo Zedong
Photos: UAE Consulate General in Guangzhou
