Cooperation in Trilateral Framework

Subject: International Relations

Concept : Groupings

India, France and the United Arab Emirates declared their common intent to formalise a “trilateral cooperation initiative” to collaborate on nuclear energy and explore opportunities in the Indian Ocean region.
Three countries also discussed cooperation in a trilateral framework, to promote compatibility and co-production in the defence sector and in countering infectious diseases.
A range of trilateral events will be held in the backdrop of the Indian Presidency of the G-20 and UNFCCC COP28 to be held in UAE in November-December 2023.
The trilateral was first discussed when the three Ministers — Dr. Jaishankar, France’s Catherine Colonna and the UAE’s Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan — had met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York in September 2022.

Cooperation to fight Climate Change:

This trilateral cooperation initiative is with a focus on solar and nuclear energy, the fight against climate change and the protection of biodiversity.
The initiative is expected to act as a platform to bolster cooperation on sustainable projects between the development agencies of the three countries, which will also work to align their economic, technological and social policies with the objectives of the Paris Agreement.
The three countries also agreed to expand their cooperation through initiatives such as the Mangrove Alliance for Climate led by the UAE and the Indo-Pacific Parks Partnership led by India and France.
It was agreed that the three countries should seek to focus on key issues such as single-use plastic pollution, desertification, and food security in the context of the International Year of Millets-2023.
The three countries also underlined their keen desire to cooperate in the field of the circular economy under the aegis of India’s Mission LiFE.

Towards ‘One Health’:

Separately, France, India and the UAE also agreed to increase cooperation in the field of combating diseases and pandemics and joining forces in the field of vaccination.
In this regard, cooperation in multilateral organisations such as World Health Organization (WHO), Gavi-the Vaccine Alliance, the Global Fund, and Unitaid will be encouraged.
Further, the three countries are planning to attempt to identify tangible cooperation on implementing the “One Health” approach, and support the development of local capacities in biomedical innovation and production within developing countries.

One Health is an approach that recognizes that the health of people is closely connected to the health of animals and our shared environment

Collaboration in Defense Sector:

Foreign Ministers of three countries also discussed cooperation in a trilateral framework to promote compatibility, joint development and co-production while seeking out avenues for further collaboration and training defence forces of the three countries.
The development of trilateral cooperation between relevant academic and research institutions and efforts to promote co-innovation projects, technology transfer, and entrepreneurship will be encouraged.