Dr Kovács represented Hungary’s Water Sector at the Seventh Meeting of the Parties to the Protocol on Water and Health.
Dr Kovács, founder and CEO of Pureco, participated in the Seventh Meeting of the Parties to the Protocol on Water and Health, held in Budapest. Representing the Hungarian Water Association (HWA, president), while also carrying the colours of the Hungarian Water Partnership (HWP, chairman), the European Water Association (EWA, past-president) - where he serves as an Honorary Member - and the African Water and Sanitation Association (AfWASA) as a Member of its Strategic and Technical Council, Dr Kovács demonstrated his dedication to international water cooperation.
The Meeting of the Parties, a United Nations event jointly organised by the WHO and UNECE, brings together government representatives, experts, and stakeholders to advance the implementation of the Protocol on Water and Health, aiming to ensure universal access to safe drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene across the pan-European region.
During the session focused on the 2026 United Nations Water Conference on Vision and Outcomes (to be held on 2–4 December 2026 in the United Arab Emirates), he raised critical questions to the panellists introducing the event’s program. Drawing on his extensive experience and insights shared and gained during the 2023 UN Water Conference in New York, his remarks focused on the topic of the financial gap between the pressing need for water infrastructure development (22.000 Billion USD) and the limited availability of financing, as well as on the allocation of committed funds (see this pledge as well).
He suggested including this topic in the 2026 UN Water Conference´s Agenda, and in the future, to move towards a commitment where the allocated funds will primarily support technologies and solutions accredited by the UN as SDG accelerators, particularly in advancing SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation (Sustainable, safe drinking water supply and Affordable wastewater treatment technology).
Following the discussion, Dr Kovács had an engaging exchange with the panellists and organisers, who kindly invited the organisations he represented to contribute more actively to shaping the topic within the broader agenda of the upcoming UN Water Conference 2026. Dr Kovács is looking forward to continuing this dialogue and working together toward tangible progress and bankable solutions in the global water agenda.
