When the gavel opened the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York this month, the familiar rhythm of speeches, summits, and side events unfolded. Yet among the countless acronyms and initiatives on display, one intergovernmental body stood out as a quiet but significant symbol of Africa’s rising voice in multilateral affairs: the Water and Sanitation Agency (WSA).
Africa on the Global Stage
The WSA, a Pan-African intergovernmental agency with 35 member states, has long carried the mandate of tackling one of the continent’s most pressing challenges: access to safe water and sanitation. This year, however, its presence at the UNGA carried new weight. Earlier in 2013, the WSA achieved a milestone rarely afforded to regional agencies: the granting of Permanent Observer Mission status to the United Nations. Though the observer status was granted in 2013, 2025 was the first time the WSA initiated the mission and sent a representative to the United Nations in New York City as an Ambassador and Permanent Observer.
In the hierarchy of global diplomacy, Permanent Observer status matters. It confers the ability to attend sessions, circulate documents, and influence debates at the world’s most powerful multilateral forum. For Africa, the WSA’s observer mission is more than symbolism — it is an entry point into reshaping conversations about water and sanitation as core global security concerns, not just development goals.
“Water is no longer a silent crisis. It is the underpinning of food security, migration, health, and even peace,” says H.E. Dr Nabhit Kapur, Permanent Observer of the Pan African Intergovernmental Governmental Agency for Water and Sanitation (WSA) to the United Nations. “Our mission is to make sure the world recognizes this reality — and acts accordingly.”
A Crisis that Touches Millions
The urgency is impossible to overstate. According to the UN, 2.2 billion people worldwide still lack safely managed drinking water services, and more than 4 billion lack safely managed sanitation. In Africa, climate change is amplifying the crisis. Droughts, floods, and failing infrastructure threaten lives and livelihoods from the Sahel to Southern Africa.
The ripple effects are already shaping global headlines: water scarcity fuels conflict between farmers and herders; poor sanitation worsens public health crises; food insecurity drives migration across borders. The stakes are no longer local — they are global.
By entering the UN as an Observer Mission, the WSA is positioning itself as a critical interlocutor: connecting African realities to global strategies, while channeling global resources back to African solutions.
From Press Release to Platform
At its side event during the UNGA, the WSA convened policymakers, development banks, and private sector partners around a simple theme: water security is human security. Unlike many announcements that fade into the noise of the UNGA week, this one landed with unusual clarity.
Part of that is timing. With the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) entering their final stretch toward 2030, water and sanitation targets remain stubbornly off track. The World Bank estimates that achieving universal access will require at least $114 billion annually in investment, which is triple the current levels. Governments cannot bridge that gap alone.
Partnerships beyond the UN
To close that gap, the WSA is seeking a broader coalition, comprising African governments, international donors, technology innovators, and private partners. Already, collaborations are beginning to take shape — from multilateral development banks to firms such as Global Venture Partners, which has pledged investment to support the WSA’s mission.
But the spotlight remains firmly on the WSA. “This is not a task any one actor can achieve,” says Dr. Kapur. “It requires global solidarity, and it requires African leadership at the center of the conversation.”
The Broader Geopolitical Movement
The WSA’s timing could not be more consequential. As conflicts in Eastern Europe and the Middle East dominate headlines, and as climate shocks intensify, the competition for water and its governance is rising sharply on the geopolitical agenda. For Africa, often treated as a recipient of aid rather than a driver of global policy, the WSA’s UNGA presence is a statement of sovereignty.
It is also a reminder that solutions cannot be imported wholesale. African cities and communities are pioneering models in water reuse, community-led sanitation, and cross-border cooperation. By elevating those at the UN, the WSA is reframing Africa as a laboratory of innovation rather than a site of perpetual crisis.
What Comes Next
Looking ahead, the WSA has outlined an ambitious agenda:
- Establishing a global financing compact for water and sanitation.
- Positioning water security at the heart of climate negotiations.
- Building continental partnerships with the African Union and NEPAD to align regional strategies with global targets.
- Developing diaspora investment vehicles for water infrastructure.
For TIME readers, the story is both local and global in scope. What happens in a village outside Kigali or a township in Johannesburg has implications for migration flows, climate resilience, and even international markets.
The WSA’s observer status means those realities will now have a louder voice in New York — and potentially, a stronger claim on global resources.
A Moment of Opportunity
In diplomacy, moments of visibility are fleeting. But the WSA’s debut at the 80th UNGA may prove to be more than a photo-op. It reflects a deeper current: Africa’s institutions demanding a place at the global decision-making table, and new partnerships — however modest — stepping in to amplify that role.
For the WSA, the challenge ahead will be turning recognition into resources. And for the international community, the message from New York was clear: water and sanitation are not side issues. They are the foundation of human security — and the time to act is now.