I2U2

The heads of government of India, Israel, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and the United States convened the first leaders’ summit on July 14, 2022, to establish the I2U2 Group. This unique grouping of countries identifies bankable projects and initiatives to tackle some of the greatest challenges confronting our world, with a particular focus on joint investments and new initiatives in water, energy, transportation, space, health, food security, and technology. 

The Group aims to mobilize private sector capital and expertise to achieve a variety of goals, including modernizing infrastructure, advancing low carbon development pathways, and improving public health.  I2U2 partnership projects and initiatives are not limited in geographic scope – the Group will explore opportunities anywhere it can make a positive impact. 

The UAE – home to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and host of COP28 (2023) – aims to invest $2 billion to develop a series of integrated food parks across India that will incorporate state-of-the-art climate-smart technologies to reduce food waste and spoilage, conserve fresh water, and employ renewable energy sources. India will provide appropriate land for the project and will facilitate farmers’ integration into the food parks. U.S. and Israeli private sectors will be invited to lend their expertise and offer innovative solutions that contribute to the overall sustainability of the project. These investments will help maximize crop yields and, in turn, help tackle food insecurity in South Asia and the Middle East. 

The I2U2 Group will advance a hybrid renewable energy project in India’s Gujarat State, consisting of wind and solar capacity complemented by a battery energy storage system. The U.S. Trade and Development Agency funded a feasibility study for the project. UAE-based companies are exploring opportunities to serve as critical knowledge partners. Israel and the United States are working with the UAE and India to highlight private sector opportunities. Indian companies are keen to participate in this project and contribute to India’s goal of achieving 500 GW of non-fossil fuel capacity by 2030. Such projects have the potential to make India a global hub for alternate supply chains in the renewable energy sector.

Primarily using their space-based observation data and capabilities, India, Israel, the UAE, and the United States, all signatories of the Artemis Accords, aim to create a unique space-based tool for policymakers, institutions, and entrepreneurs, enabling their work on environmental and climate change challenges and furthering the I2U2 partner countries’ cooperation in the applications of space data for the greater good of humanity.

Israel, the UAE, and the United States welcomed India to the Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate initiative (AIM for Climate) at the I2U2 Business Forum in February 2023.  AIM for Climate is a joint initiative launched by the UAE and the United States, which seeks to address climate change and global hunger by uniting participants to significantly increase investment in, and other support for, climate-smart agriculture and food systems innovation over five years (2021–2025). 

The I2U2 Business Coalition is a private sector initiative formed in April 2023 by the U.S.-UAE Business Council, the UAE-Israel Business Council, and the UAE-India Business Council.   

The coalition aims to  

The I2U2 Private Enterprise Partnership is a public-private partnership signed in September 2023 between the U.S. Department of State and the U.S.-UAE Business Council, the UAE-Israel Business Council, and the UAE-India Business Council. The Memorandum of Understanding is available here.   

*Disclaimer: Unless otherwise noted, private sector initiatives listed on this page do not have any official affiliation with the I2U2 Group or any of four member countries. 

I2U2 was initially formed during a virtual ministerial call in October 2021. The United States and our I2U2 counterparts have since transformed this group from a concept to reality.    

On July 14, 2022, the heads of state of India, Israel, the UAE, and the United States virtually convened the first leaders’ meeting of I2U2.  

This unique grouping of countries aims to promote high-quality sustainable investment among partner countries by combining our respective innovative, technological, and productive capacities, skilled workforces, and entrepreneurial dynamism, and advancing the strategic convergence of our nations.  These investments will: 1) modernize our infrastructure; 2) help advance the decarbonization of our industries; and 3) promote the development and diffusion of critical emerging and green technologies that will expand our shared prosperity, improve the health of our citizens, and serve as a model for promoting regional partnerships that create employment and opportunities for our workers.  We will harness the entrepreneurial spirit to tackle common challenges, with a particular focus on joint investments and new initiatives in six areas: water, energy, transportation, space, health, and food security.  

We also intend to:  

While our current focus in this forum is on initiatives implemented within the four I2U2 countries, we are interested in collectively exploring other opportunities in the Middle East, North Africa, and beyond and will consider, at a future date, formal participation in the I2U2 of interested countries that share our goals.  

In close consultation with our I2U2 partners, we will look to expand I2U2 to address additional global challenges beyond the seven initial sectors outlined today.   

This group exists as one of many other multilateral fora aimed at increasing regional integration such as the Negev Forum – in which the governments of Bahrain, Egypt, Israel, Morocco, and the UAE participate.   

The food security project in India takes an innovative approach at building long-term food systems resilience and more diversified food production and delivery systems.    

The project will advance climate-smart agricultural innovation in I2U2 countries to enhance both climate change mitigation and resilience in agriculture.   

These efforts will be complementary to the Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate (AIM for Climate), which the United States, the UAE, India, and Israel are all actively working to advance.   

Israel intends to lend its expertise to a research center dedicated to maximizing the efficiency and sustainability of the project.    

The United States intends to work with our I2U2 partners and the U.S. business communities to highlight potential opportunities for U.S. private sector participation in this project.   

The Dwarka clean energy project in India aligns with our four countries’ recognition of the urgent need to address the climate crisis while strengthening energy security.    

The U.S. Trade and Development Agency funded a feasibility study for this hybrid wind and solar project complemented by a battery storage system in India’s Gujarat State.    

We’re happy with the progress on both of these projects.    

ADQ, the potential UAE investor in the food security project, is continuing to conduct due diligence, and the I2U2 partners are exploring opportunities for private sector participation.  

Our partners on the wind, solar, and battery project in Gujarat are also conducting due diligence, and we continue to highlight potential opportunities for the private sector to participate in the project.