AU Theme 2026: Assuring Sustainable Water Availability and Safe Sanitation Systems to Achieve the Goals of Agenda 2063

The African Union has officially adopted Assuring Sustainable Water Availability and Safe Sanitation Systems to Achieve the Goals of Agenda 2063 as its 2026 theme. By elevating water from a social necessity to a strategic economic input, the AU aims to integrate water management directly into sustainable development, agriculture, and industry.

The core of the 2026 agenda

The theme addresses a critical continental crisis: 400 million people currently lack safe water and over 700 million lack basic sanitation. With water demand projected to increase by 40% by 2030, the 39th Ordinary Session established that water management is the foundation for stability. The agenda utilizes the Water, Energy, Food, and Ecosystems (WEFE) nexus framework, recognising that these sectors are inseparable. Central to this is the Africa Water Vision 2063, which seeks to close the 30 billion dollar annual investment shortfall required to meet sustainable development goals.

Ethiopia and the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam

A focal point of the water discussions was the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). Ethiopia presented the project as a practical application of the 2026 theme, showcasing how large-scale water infrastructure can drive regional integration. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed described the dam as an engine for African self-reliance, noting its capacity to export renewable energy to the wider East African region. The discussion emphasised using the dam as a blueprint for energy sovereignty, while reiterating the need for African-led dialogue to manage shared transboundary water resources.

Strategic priorities and goal alignment

The assembly outlined several critical objectives to align with UN Sustainable Development Goal 6 and Agenda 2063:

• Investment and infrastructure: Prioritising purification, desalination, and management projects through frameworks like the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA).
• Economic productivity: Acknowledging that three out of four jobs on the continent are water-dependent and that 80% of diseases affecting labour productivity stem from poor sanitation.
• Inclusive planning: Engaging local communities in implementation to ensure the long-term sustainability of water projects.

Implications for social work and development practitioners

The 2026 focus fundamentally alters the professional landscape for social workers and development practitioners across Africa:

• Water as a social determinant of health: Practitioners must integrate water and sanitation advocacy into core casework. Social workers will play a critical role in linking clean water access to reduced child mortality and improved maternal health outcomes, thereby reducing household health expenditures.
• Climate-displaced populations: Development practitioners will need to develop new frameworks for supporting communities displaced by water scarcity or floods. This involves moving from emergency relief to long-term resilience planning and the management of water-related conflicts at the community level.
• Community-led governance: There is a shift away from top-down infrastructure delivery. Practitioners are now tasked with establishing and training local water committees to manage resources, ensuring that infrastructure remains functional and equitable without external dependency.
• Gender and economic empowerment: Since women and girls are disproportionately responsible for water collection, practitioners will focus on how improved sanitation and proximity to water sources directly increase female enrolment in education and participation in the local economy.
• Rights-based advocacy: Social workers will be at the forefront of ensuring that the commercialisation of water for industrialisation does not infringe upon the basic human right to affordable, safe drinking water for the most vulnerable populations.

The road ahead

By placing water at the centre of the 2026 agenda, the African Union is addressing a fundamental barrier to development. For practitioners, this means a more technical and integrated approach to social welfare, where environmental resource management is seen as inseparable from social justice and poverty alleviation.