The Water as Leverage Multilevel Climate Action Programme (WaL) proudly presents the 2nd edition of the WaL City Champion Challenge, launched at the 13th session of the World Urban Forum in Baku, Azerbaijan, on 19 May 2026. Water challenges in cities are becoming more urgent. Across the world, urban areas are facing increasing water stress - including flooding, drought, water scarcity, and pollution - driven by climate change, rapid urbanisation, and environmental degradation. At the same time, cities are where innovative responses are developed. This Challenge brings these efforts together to build a global community, exchange knowledge, and accelerate local action in cities - toward the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

We invite cities and urban stakeholders to submit initiatives that advance inclusive and sustainable urban water resilience. The Challenge focuses on solutions that:

(1) advance urban water resilience,

(2) operate within a city - at building block or neighbourhood scales,

(3) demonstrate alignment with the eight WaL Guidance Principles,

(4) contribute to the SDGs for integrated impact, including but not limited to SDG 6 on water, SDG 11 on cities and SDG 13 on climate action,

(5) include pathways for implementation, replicability and scalability beyond their origin,

(6) are locally owned and driven.

Selected initiatives will be showcased as leading examples from across the world, demonstrating how cities can respond to water-related challenges through local action and scalable ways. Two finalists will be invited to the 2026 UN Water Conference to present their initiatives to a global audience.

Please carefully review the Terms and Conditions, which provide further information regarding the eligibility and selection criteria, as well as the award: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1w4YW-T7ZlzQRkwJCt9CmXYYKlZgj4NJW3UilvnCq_K4/edit?usp=sharing

For any inquiries, please refer to the FAQ: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OMBbgiNskDAHjMUYMhhqQnkguF85jVS7HO-a4j_yqik/edit?usp=sharing

For additional inquiries, please contact us at unhabitat-urbanlab@un.org andwal@rvo.nl. Please send questions at the latest one week before the submission deadline to ensure a timely response.

For more information on the Water as Leverage City Champion Challenge, please visit: https://partnersforwater.nl/about-us/thematic-approach/2nd-edition-of-the-water-as-leverage-city-champion-challenge/

Application Form: Applications need to be submitted

here:https://forms.cloud.microsoft/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=2zWeD09UYE-9zF6kFubccMPl_4ewPb9MjYb2DFL4CXRUREFZT1FZVVlVWkRYM0gwOVE4Vk01MFRUSC4u

Submission deadline: August 24, 2026, 11:59 pm CET.