Misha Mittal, Senior Manager, City Advisory at Expo City Dubai, considers UAE-India partnerships as a powerful example of city diplomacy in action, demonstrating how cross-border collaboration can strengthen communities, drive innovation and shape more resilient urban spaces – locally and globally.
At this year’s Raisina Dialogue, hosted by India’s Ministry of External Affairs and the Observer Research Foundation, one thing was clear; the UAE–India relationship has evolved way beyond its traditional bricks-and-mortar foundation. Today, it is an engine for technology, trade, agriculture and urban innovation.
With India’s population projected to increase by over 200 million, and the UAE’s population by over 4 million by 2050, according to the United Nations’ World Population Prospects, this partnership is setting the pace for how data, technology and commercial collaboration can cope with such rapid urbanisation.
For its part, the UAE has emerged as a pioneer in urban intelligence, with Expo City Dubai showcasing data-driven governance, nature-based solutions for urban systems management, adaptive reuse of assets, and equitable, people-centric urban growth.
While the UAE raises the bar for urban resilience, India brings vital lessons in pragmatic connectivity. India’s last-mile rail networks, linking remote communities with major urban hubs, offers a playbook for the Gulf region as it builds its first unified railway network across the GCC to support trade, logistics and passenger travel across cities in the region.
At its core, however, this partnership is about more than technology transfer. It’s a partnership, committed to advancing AI, sustainable trade and self-sufficient communities in both countries, without widening socio-economic divides in the process.
For example, in February, India and the UAE exchanged eight agreements, including major bilateral investments in urban development. Meanwhile, the 2023 Memorandum of Understanding on Industry and Advanced Technology focuses on joint research to build institutional strength and foundational skills, ensuring that investments support a just and sustainable transition.
Education and knowledge exchange sit at the heart of this strategy. Abu Dhabi now hosts the first international campus of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), while the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT) is preparing to open its first overseas campus at Expo City Dubai in September, with a focus on sustainability, international trade and innovation.
This academic bridge will fuel a two-way exchange of urban solutions. Cities like Bangalore and Pune, a hub for IT excellence, are well-positioned to draw insights gathered from 200,000 live data points across Expo City, which inform everything from traffic flows and energy consumption to public health and citizen engagement. By having access to this data and intelligence, Indian cities can learn and accelerate their transition towards smarter, greener urban ecosystems — while contributing their own innovations in digital infrastructure, AI, and civic tech back to the global conversation.
Conversely, Bangalore’s leadership in AI and Pune’s digital strengths could accelerate predictive urban planning and seamless smart city rollouts across the UAE. By harnessing each other’s strengths, both countries are better positioned to tackle challenges like pollution, congestion and resource management, while unlocking economic growth.
Through these collaborations, Indian and Emirati cities are not just reshaping their own urban landscapes — they are setting new standards for the future of cities worldwide.
This spirit of city diplomacy will take centre stage at the upcoming 2025 Asia Pacific Cities Summit & Mayors’ Forum, hosted at Expo City Dubai in October.
The transformative power of city diplomacy is one of the key topics that will be discussed at the summit as city leaders discuss environmental solutions, city governance, digital transformation and quality of living at 2025APCS.
The 2025 Asia Pacific Cities Summit (2025APCS) & Mayors’ Forum takes place at Expo City Dubai, 27-29 October. Book your ticket here
