Redefining SDG6 Targets in a Rapidly Urbanizing World
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Description
Redefining SDG6 Targets in a Rapidly Urbanizing World
| If we were designing a global water and sanitation agenda today for the world of 2050, when 70% of the global population will live in cities, what would we define as success?
The Global Cities Hub and the Geneva Water Hub co-organize an official online event at the United Nations Water Conference on 9 December 2026 from 11.00-12.00 CET. The UN Water Conference 2026 is the biggest event on global water governance. It will discuss the progress made on SDG6 and the way ahead until 2030. The webinar ‘Redefining SDG6 Targets in a Rapidly Urbanizing World’ will complement the general discussion by looking beyond the immediate horizon and asking from the perspective of Local and Regional Governments (LRGs) what should be done differently after 2030. LRGs are responsible for, or closely involved in, many of the services and functions that determine water security and sanitation outcomes on the ground. They are also increasingly confronting interconnected challenges involving urban expansion, informal settlements, ageing infrastructure, pollution, extreme weather events, water scarcity, and competing demands for water. |
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Date: 9 December 2026
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The webinar will provide a space for Local and Regional Governments, national governments, international organizations, practitioners, experts and other stakeholders to exchange experiences and explore possible directions for a post-2030 water and sanitation agenda. It will explain how a future water and sanitation framework can place people and resilience at the center, while strengthening the capacity of LRGs to deliver sustainable services in a rapidly urbanizing and climate-changing world.
The last decade has seen notable progress. Between 2015 and 2024, 961 million people gained access to safely managed drinking water, 1.2 billion gained safely managed sanitation, and 1.6 billion secured basic hygiene services. Still, massive gaps remain. Today, 2.2 billion people lack access to safely managed drinking water, and more than 4.2 billion people lack safely managed sanitation. Climate change is exacerbating the situation, with increasing disasters such as floods and droughts. In a rapidly urbanizing world, we also need to transform the way we deliver water and sanitation services for billions of people.
Looking beyond 2030, a stronger and more ambitious global water agenda is needed, including moving from measuring access to measuring the quality, affordability and reliability of delivery services; strengthening water institutions and human capacity at all levels; considering cooperation on water for stability; embedding climate resilience into planning and investment; and ensuring that global water commitments are effectively localized.
Objectives
- Reflect on progress and remaining gaps in the implementation of SDG 6 from the perspective of Local and Regional Governments.
- Identify emerging water and sanitation challenges that may not be sufficiently captured by the current SDG 6 framework.
- Explore how rapid urbanization and climate change should influence the post-2030 global water agenda.
- Discuss potential improvements to future targets, indicators and monitoring frameworks – based on experiences from cities and regions.
- Strengthen the voice of Local and Regional Governments in international discussions on the future of water and sanitation.
- Generate ideas and formulate recommendations that can contribute to the post-2030 debate.
Speakers
- TBC
Moderated by TBC
English 
French 
Spanish