The N7 Initiative convened a dialogue on the future of the I2U2 Group in New Delhi, India on April 23, 2025. The event brought together senior officials as well as private sector leaders and policy experts from the four countries participating in I2U2: India, Israel, the UAE, and the United States. It was the first convening of this group in almost two years. The I2U2 Group was formed in July 2022 to improve connectivity between the countries and tackle challenges that cut across the Middle East and Indo-Pacific and impact the United States.
Seizing Renewed Momentum on I2U2
After early announcements on a food security and energy project, progress on I2U2 lagged over the course of 2024. There is renewed momentum on the I2U2 Group following the February 2025 Joint Leaders’ Statement between the United States and India, however. That statement highlighted the importance of I2U2 and committed to convening the group by August 2025 in order to announce new initiatives in 2025.
The N7-hosted dialogue provided a much-needed platform to discuss the steps necessary to realize the goals identified by I2U2 leaders over the next few months. Participants focused on the need to strengthen technical-level coordination structures, reconvene business leaders to build on the February 2023 I2U2 Business Forum, and identify new priority projects.
Participants noted that recent instability in the Middle East only underscores the importance of resilient forms of regional integration. For example, I2U2 can help mobilize progress on alternative trade routes through the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), helping mitigate the consequences of recent disruption to maritime commerce in the Red Sea.
Driving Progress on IMEC
The event also focused on the steps necessary to realize the goals of a transformational new transportation and digital corridor connecting India, the Middle East, and Europe. Participants stressed that IMEC could provide the backbone for stronger cooperation between I2U2 countries and discussed how to address the financial, political, and logistical requirements of the project.
Following the I2U2 dialogue, the N7 Initiative participated in an IMEC Summit organized by the Vishwamitra Research Foundation (VRF), a new think tank based in Mumbai. The IMEC Summit—which was applauded and welcomed by Prime Minister Modi in an official statement and featured Shri Devendra Fadnavis, the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, as a chief guest—brought together experts and officials from several for a detailed discussion about IMEC.
Keeping the Focus on Tangible Benefits
Participants stressed that the purpose of the I2U2 Group is to deliver real improvements for citizens across the participating countries. I2U2 is not just another multilateral meeting structure, and its success will be measured not by the meetings it holds but by the results its projects achieve. For this reason, participants highlighted the need to identify new projects in sectors that leverage the unique contributions and needs of each country.
Because the I2U2 Group is focused on mobilizing private capital and expertise, new projects should be identified in collaboration with the private sector. Participants suggested a few potential projects, including improving the efficiency of trade flows through better integrated information sharing platforms that can also integrate new technology.
N7 Committed to Helping Strengthen I2U2 Collaboration
Quadrilateral coordination between India, Israel, the UAE, and the United States is still relatively new, and I2U2’s focus on private sector leadership requires going beyond traditional government coordination structures. Further, a cross-sectoral initiative like I2U2 demands collaboration across a range of government bodies and technical experts. For these reasons, participants concluded that more work is needed to enable collaboration between I2U2 countries and that think tanks like the N7 Initiative have an important role to play.
The N7 Initiative is committed to leveraging its network across the public and private sectors – including its partner in India, the Ananta Centre–to develop this collaboration and looks forward to convening future action-oriented engagements to help the I2U2 Group realize its enormous potential.
