Participation of representatives from non-governmental organizations, major groups and other relevant stakeholders at the 2026 UN Water Conference is guided by A/RES/78/327.

Accredited Organizations

Organizations that fall under the following categories will be able to request registration to attend the 2026 UN Water Conference and its preparatory meeting:

1. Non-governmental organizations and major groups identified in Agenda 21 and other stakeholders in consultative status with ECOSOC. You can check if your organization has consultative status with ECOSOC here.
2. Organizations that were accredited to any of the following previous United Nations’ conferences (check the consolidated list here – Updated on 19 January 2026):   

• World Summit on Sustainable Development
• the United Nations Conference on the Midterm Comprehensive Review of the Implementation of the Objectives of the International Decade for Action, “Water for Sustainable Development”, 2018–2028,
• the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development
• the intergovernmental conference on an international legally binding instrument under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction,
• the United Nations Conference on Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks
• the Review Conference on the Agreement for the Implementation of the Provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of 10 December 1982 relating to the Conservation and Management of Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks,
• the international meeting entitled “Stockholm+50: a healthy planet for the prosperity of all – our responsibility, our opportunity”.
• the 2017 and 2022 United Nations Conferences to Support the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development and
• United Nations conferences on the sustainable development of small island developing States (SIDS):
  • Global Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States, 26 April-6 May 1994, Bridgetown, Barbados;
  • International Meeting to Review the Implementation of the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States, 10-14 January 2005, Port Louis, Mauritius; and/or
  • Third International Conference on Small Island Developing States, 1-4 September 2014, Apia, Samoa.
  • 4th International Conference on Small Island Developing States, 27 – 30 May 2024, St. John’s, Antigua and Barbuda
• Organizations that received special accreditation to attend the 2026 UN Water Conference – First open call (2025).

 

IF YOUR ORGANIZATION IS NOT LISTED ON THE LINKS ABOVE, YOU MUST APPLY FOR SPECIAL ACCREDITATION IN ORDER TO REGISTER PARTICIPANTS TO ATTEND THE 2026 UN WATER CONFERENCE.

 

Special Accreditation for relevant non-governmental and other stakeholder organizations – Second Round – NOW OPEN!

As guided by resolution A/RES/78/327other relevant non-governmental organizations, including civil society organizations, academic institutions, the scientific community, the private sector and philanthropic organizations whose work is relevant to the Conference and are not in consultative status with ECOSOC or accredited to the previous United Nations Conferences mentioned above, neither received special accreditation to attend the 2026 UN Water Conference through the first open call for special accreditation (held in early 2025) must receive special accreditation in order to participate in the Conference as observers.

Interested organizations can apply by 31 March 2026 through this portal: https://dgccso.un.org/Event-Details/?evtid=17b679c0-4eed-ef11-9342-000d3a284092&evtname=EVT-01005

This round of special accreditation will be conducted on the Civil Society Platform, one of the latest initiatives from the UN Department of Global Communications (DGC) designed to streamline engagement processes for civil society organizations.

If your organization does not yet have an account, follow the user guides below to get started:

• Quick Start on the Civil Society Platform
• Account Creation Guide and FAQ
• Request Accreditation Guide

Applications will be reviewed on the basis of their background and involvement in the implementation and follow up of SDG 6. The President of the General Assembly will draw up the list of recommended organizations and submit it to Member States for their consideration on a non-objection basis. Approved organizations will be notified by the Secretariat after Member States review.

Once an organization or entity receives special accreditation, it will be able to registerrepresentatives to participate at the 2026 UN Water Conference.

Details about how to register representatives to attend the Conference will be made available on this webpage closer to the Conference.

Prepare for the Special Accreditation Process:

To obtain ad-hoc special accreditation, organizations must meet specific criteria and submit the following required documents:

1. Proof of Legal Status

A document issued by a federal/national government demonstrating proof of legal status in your organization’s headquarters’ country.

Example of proof of legal status:

• Proof of incorporation
• 501 (c)(3) filing status (US entities)
• Certificate of registry

Note: If your legal document is in a language other than English or French, please include an official English translation along with the document in a single PDF file. 

2. Constitution/By Laws of the organization (if applicable)
3. Expression of Interest Letter 

A letter on official letterhead signed by the Head of the Organization requesting special accreditation for the conference. Please find a sample here: https://sdgs.un.org/documents/template-expression-interest-letter-special-accreditation-60722.

4. Activities Report

A list of recent activities that your organization has undertaken, aligned to the conference theme.

If you have any questions about creating your organization account or filling out conference applications, please contact us at dgc-cso-portal@un.org.

First Round of Special Accreditation – CLOSED – Final List now published

The President of the General Assembly has drawn up the list of recommended organizations and submitted it to Member States for their consideration on a non-objection basis.

• Check the list of approved organizations (1st Round) here.