19 May 2026, Geneva, Switzerland - The Academic Hub, co-led by United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and United Nations Institute of Training and Research (UNITAR) in collaboration with United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN-DESA) and UN-Water, is the central platform connecting scientific and policy communities to the 2026 Conference. It contributes to Priority Collaborative Action 5 and is structured around the six interactive dialogue themes that will frame the Conference outcomes.

Ms. Sogol Jafarzadeh, UN and Government Relations Coordinator at UNU-INWEH, framed the Academic Hub as a mechanism to mobilize science, research, and knowledge into global water policy processes. She underlined that the consultation in Harare marks a significant moment for African voices in the lead-up to the 2026 Conference. She noted that UNU-INWEH's upcoming 30th anniversary recognizes the long-standing support of the Government of Canada.

Speaking on behalf of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme, Ms. Mahasa, joining from Senegal, identified two defining realities for the water sector: water systems approaching their physical limits, and persistent inequalities in access, governance, and opportunity. She stressed that responding to these challenges requires a shift from crisis response to long-term adaptation which is grounded in inclusive science-based approaches.

Ms. Ebru Canan-Sokullu, UNITAR Global Water Academy (UGWA) Director positioned the Academic Hub as the structured mechanism to close the gap between scientific evidence and policy implementation. She noted that progress on SDG 6 has been constrained not by a lack of knowledge, but by limited translation of that knowledge into decision-making.

The investment into capacities, where the academic community is an integral part, is not only financial. It is a distribution mechanism. The idea is to distribute the know-how and translate this academic and scientific input into implementation systems. — Ms. Ebru Canan-Sokullu, UNITAR

Ms. Canan-Sokullu also highlighted the role of the CIFAL Global Network in Africa, with active centres in Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, and The Gambia, as a delivery channel for capacity development that complements the networks of UNU-INWEH and UNESCO. She invited African institutions to engage actively with the Hub so that academic contributions directly inform, rather than run parallel to, the Conference process.

Professor Hudson Makurira, Pro Vice Chancellor of the University of Zimbabwe and inaugural Chair of the International Association of Hydrological Sciences (IAHS) Africa Regional Committee, delivered the keynote address. He set out the case that Africa is an active contributor to global water debates, bringing indigenous knowledge systems, climate-extreme experience, and Agenda 2063 priorities that already shape global discourse.

Professor Makurira identified water scarcity, climate impacts, infrastructure deficits, transboundary tensions, and water-quality challenges as the most pressing issues facing African research and policy. He drew particular attention to the monitoring and analysis gap that currently constrains research output, and called for greater coordination across the continent's universities, river basin organizations, and policy bodies, including the African Ministers' Council on Water (AMCOW) and the African Network of Basin Organizations.

Citing WaterNet as a working model of regional collaboration, with 79 member institutions and more than 1,000 graduates of its master's programmes, Professor Makurira encouraged the Hub to build on existing African architecture rather than create parallel structures. He also welcomed the growing visibility of African leadership in global water science, including the appointment of the first African Secretary General of the IAHS and the upcoming joint conference of the IAHS Groundwater and Statistical Hydrology Commissions in Victoria Falls in July, the first such gathering to be held on the continent.

The consultation reaffirmed UNITAR's commitment, through the UGWA and the CIFAL Global Network, to support the science-policy interface in Africa. The UGWA, as the focal point at UNITAR for the UN Capacity Development Initiative for SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), will continue to work with UNU-INWEH, UNESCO, and partner institutions to translate African research priorities into capacity-development pathways and implementation mechanisms.

Areas identified for follow-up include joint policy briefs with African ministries and academic partners, deeper coordination between CIFAL centres and WaterNet member institutions, and targeted capacity-development opportunities for young African water professionals in the run-up to the 2026 Conference.

“The ultimate goal is to ensure that scientific contributions are not parallel to the UN Water Conference process, but directly engaged with it.” — Ms. Ebru Canan-Sokullu, UNITAR

The outcomes of the Harare consultation will feed into the Academic Hub and the broader preparatory process for the 2026 UN Water Conference. The consultation aims to ensure that African knowledge, priorities, and solutions are reflected in global discussions. The UGWA will continue to support this process through targeted capacity-development activities, joint research and policy outputs, and active engagement in the Hub's six interactive dialogue themes.