Dubai: Top leaders from the region’s government and private sectors are all set to seize what organizers of BCKIC CSR & Sustainability Conclave 2025, to be held in India’s Bhubaneswar on November 21-22 describe as a “once-in-a-decade” opportunity to influence global sustainability frameworks.

The conclave comes at a time when the Gulf states, led by the UAE and Saudi Arabia, are accelerating economic diversification and sustainability agendas under Vision 2030 and UAE Centennial 2071. According to Dr Mrityunjay Suar, Chairman of the Bhubaneswar City Knowledge Innovation Cluster (BCKIC) that’s organising the one-day summit, the event offers a strategic platform for Middle Eastern leaders to align with India’s fast-growing $165 billion green economy and access technology, policy, and investment pipelines that could directly advance regional goals.

“This is not just any other global convention but in fact a strategic inflection point for Middle East-India collaboration,” said Dr Suar, who leads this special initiative by the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India. “From green hydrogen to water security and digital innovation, the synergies between India’s scale and innovation and the Middle East’s capital and execution capacity are unparalleled. Missing this window means losing first-mover advantage.”

With India having held the G20 presidency in 2023, and the UAE hosting COP28, Dr Suar also highlighted how both countries particularly are further positioned at the center of the global sustainability transition.  “The BCKIC Conclave provides not only a timely platform for Middle East leaders to consolidate their position in the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) but also a rare once in a decade opportunity to ensure the region’s interests are reflected in the next wave of sustainability policy and investment flows,” he added.

Emphasising how it also comes as Gulf sovereign funds, with over $2 trillion in assets, increasingly seek tangible, high-return investments in green technologies and sustainable infrastructure, Dr Suar said: “The strategic alignment between the Middle East’s investment vision and India’s scale and innovation creates an unprecedented partnership opportunity, This is about moving from commitment to concrete projects.”

The event will provide Middle Eastern stakeholders with direct access to India’s key sustainability policymakers, including representatives from the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser and NITI Aayog, the premier policy think tank of the Government of India. The focus will be on developing bilateral frameworks for large-scale projects in renewable energy, green hydrogen, and climate-resilient infrastructure.

“A core offering for Middle Eastern participants is access to a pipeline of over 50 proven Indian technologies in areas critical to the region, such as water management, waste-to-energy, and digital solutions for smart cities,” said Dr Suar, an entrepreneurial professor with Masters in Marine Biotechnology. :These technologies, tested in conditions similar to the Middle East, offer potential cost reductions of 30-50 per cent compared to Western alternatives.”

The agenda is built to deliver immediate, actionable outcomes, including the facilitation of over 20 prepared Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) for co-investment in projects targeting internal rates of return (IRR) of 15-25 per cent. Held in the capital of Odisha, one of India’s fastest-growing renewable energy hubs, the conclave will also serve as a live showcase for sustainable urban planning and circular economy models, with a commitment to zero-waste hospitality and locally sourced materials.