Accelerating innovation, including facilitating the development, testing and deployment-at-scale of transformative technological solutions to water scarcity.
The Mohamed bin Zayed Water Initiative is dedicated to addressing global water scarcity by enabling the development and application of breakthrough technologies, raising the importance of water scarcity on the international agenda, and deploying needed water solutions to benefit people and communities around the world.
Existing solutions to water scarcity will not be enough to prevent a range of unacceptable scenarios from occurring. New and innovative solutions are urgently needed.
By leveraging the UAE’s infrastructure and expertise to incubate and test the most promising water technologies, the Mohamed bin Zayed Water Initiative aims to accelerate the development of new solutions to be scaled and deployed for the world. In the longer term, it seeks to combine these solutions with an empowered water-aware generation and an engaged global community, to help create a world in which water is accessible, affordable and sustainable for all.
Together with its partners, the Mohamed bin Zayed Water Initiative is committed to:
Vision & Mission
Vision:
Accessible, affordable and
sustainable water for all.
Mission:
Promoting sustainable global accessibility to water by supporting the development and application of breakthrough technologies and by raising awareness of water scarcity and elevating its prioritization on the global agenda.
Why Water Scarcity?
Water scarcity is an urgent threat to global security and prosperity that demands a decisive and coordinated response from the international community.
If we do not act, increasing water scarcity could lead to devastating consequences, including
Loss of life
Humanitarian crises
Food insecurity
Mass migration
Geopolitical instability
This is a global issue. No individual, business or country will be immune from the direct and indirect effects of increasing water scarcity.
Up to
4 billion people
worldwide
currently experience water scarcity at least one month per year.
Water Scarcity and the UAE
The UAE has always been highly vigilant to the threat of water scarcity. Concerned by the speed at which water scarcity has been spreading around the world, the UAE has embarked on a multifaceted effort to help address this threat:
This is only the beginning of a much wider effort.
The Mohamed bin Zayed Water Initiative stands ready to partner with governments, private sector companies, entrepreneurs, youth, NGOs, universities and research institutions, to address the threat of water scarcity for the benefit of current and future generations.
Our country’s history has been defined by the scarcity of water. The future of the world must not be.
XPRIZE
Water Scarcity
XPRIZE Water Scarcity is a five-year, $119 million prize made possible by a $150 million investment by the Mohamed bin Zayed Water Initiative.
Launched in March 2023, the competition is designed to drive widespread access to clean water by creating more reliable, sustainable, and affordable seawater desalination systems.
Improved methods of seawater desalination technology could allow us to access more than 96% of Earth’s water resources year-round, creating a world where clean water is equitably and sustainably abundant, enabling people and the environment to prosper.
The XPRIZE Water Scarcity global competition is still open for registration.