The most important questions on the global water crisis
The world is overusing its water resources. At the same time, many people still do not have an adequate clean water supply. The 2026 UN Water Conference aims to find solutions. Answers to the most important questions on the water crisis:
In a current report, the United Nations uses the term ‘water bankruptcy’. What does that mean?
Humans are using more water than can be replenished by natural means – we are steering towards water bankruptcy. The global economic damage caused by droughts alone already amounts to USD 307 billion a year. Although aridity and droughts were already occurring in many areas of the world in previous decades, temporary periods of scarcity were usually followed by recovery. This is no longer true. Even in Germany, which actually has an abundance of water, the situation is becoming more critical.
How many people suffer from water shortages?
According to a report by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF, one in four people – more than two billion – still lack access to safe drinking water. Women and girls bear the brunt of the water crisis. Although the percentage of people affected dropped from 32% in 2015 to 26% in 2024, serious conflicts over this essential resource are likely to arise if decisive action is not taken to address the problem. There are reasons for this water scarcity: earth is becoming warmer, the global population is growing, and the agriculture and industry sectors need increasing amounts of water.
Isn’t water a human right?
Yes, in 2010, the UN General Assembly did indeed declare that water is a human right, because there can be no life without water. In 2015, it set out the decision in more detail, stating that everyone has the right to be able to access a sufficient quantity of clean and affordable water. Safe, hygienic, dignified and affordable sanitation – with access to toilets and wash basins – has also been regarded as a human right since then. The individual countries are responsible for implementing basic access to water. That does not mean that they have to make water available to everyone around the clock free of charge, however.
Where is the human right not being implemented?
75% of the population already lives in countries classified as water-insecure. Particularly people in the Global South are suffering from water scarcity, and more people are affected in rural areas than in urban ones because there is often a lack of infrastructure and the population depends on wells located far from their homes, for example. According to the UN, countries in North Africa and West Asia in particular are affected by water stress, in other words they do not have sufficient resources of their own. The list of the most arid countries is topped by Gulf States such as Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, but Libya, Yemen, Jordan, Pakistan, Egypt, Sudan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan are also high on the list. The UN says that all the progress made to date is not enough to achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 – clean water and sanitation for all – by 2030. For drinking water alone, investment needs to be increased sixfold.
What decisions are planned to be taken at the third UN Water Conference?
The third UN Water Conference will be held at the beginning of December 2026 in the United Arab Emirates. It aims to appeal to the international community to realise the human rights to water and sanitation by 2030 and to increase its efforts to achieve this. If not enough is done, we risk new famines, displacements and conflicts. Yet progress depends on the availability of additional funding. As public budgets are constrained in many donor countries, the conference will also explore new financing models involving the private sector.
How is Germany promoting water security?
Germany is working to ensure that greater attention is devoted to water in international policy-making. Under the new BMZ reform plan, Germany’s international cooperation will therefore be focusing more heavily on water topics from the beginning of 2026 onwards. Greater priority is to be given to cooperation with the private sector, both in partner countries and in Germany. In the water sector in particular, German firms have much to offer in terms of technologies, operation and efficiency. The aim is to integrate and coordinate the German private sector and international cooperation more effectively in water projects.
