The Secretariat of the 11th World Water Forum has appointed Saudi-listed Acwa as coordinator of the Intersectoral Collaboration Program, a new track that links the water sector with seven economic clusters, according to a press release issued on behalf of co-host the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture. The appointment tasks the company with developing the program in cooperation with the Ministry, the Secretariat and the World Water Council, ahead of the gathering in Riyadh scheduled for March 21-25, 2027 under the theme “Action for a Better Tomorrow”.
The seven clusters covered by the program span Energy and Hydrogen; Industry and Petrochemicals; Digital and Artificial Intelligence; Mining and Metals; Agriculture and Food; Urban Development, Construction and Tourism; and Greening, Environment and Drought. Each cluster is set to produce discussions, case studies, workshops, publications and initiatives intended to yield outcomes that outlast the Forum itself, with the program making its first appearance at this edition.
The Ministry said the track reflects the Kingdom’s push to widen collaboration between water and other economic sectors, describing water as a fundamental enabler of sustainable development and stressing the aim of gathering national and international stakeholders to exchange expertise and devise practical solutions that improve water-use efficiency and the sustainability of resources. It attributed the choice of Acwa to the company’s experience across water and energy and its capacity to build partnerships spanning industries.
Omar AL Hassan, KSA CEO of Acwa, said: «Water security has become a national priority in every country in which we operate, yet many of the decisions that determine it are made beyond the water sector by the power plants, refineries, mines, data centers, and farms that consume the supply.» He added that the company will draw on its record of developing and operating water and energy infrastructure across 16 countries, and that success will be judged by the initiatives and partnerships that continue after the Forum closes.
The World Water Forum convenes every three years as the largest international gathering on water policy, finance and technology, with its previous edition held in Bali, Indonesia, in 2024. The 2027 edition is organised in Riyadh by the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture at the Riyadh Front Exhibition and Conference Center, as detailed on the World Water Forum 2027 page.