This article covers the sectoral cooperation between India and the Netherlands described in the MEA brief of May 2026: water management, agriculture, healthcare, urban development, and renewable energy and climate resilience.
Priority sectors
According to the MEA brief of May 2026, Water, Agriculture and Health (WAH) are the three priority sectors of cooperation between India and the Netherlands, besides technology and innovation. The brief describes Joint Working Groups for water, agriculture, healthcare and urban development, several of them set up under bilateral MoUs.
Water management
Cooperation in the water sector was given a further boost at the virtual summit held in April 2021, with the decision to institute a 'Strategic Partnership on Water' and to upgrade the JWG on Water to Ministerial level.
The 1st Meeting of the Ministerial JWG on Water took place in April 2023, during the visit to India of the then Minister of Water and Infrastructure of the Netherlands, Mr. Mark Harbers.
The Netherlands is engaged with various States and Municipalities in India to implement water-related projects. The brief names:
- UP: the Namami Ganga Programme
- Tamil Nadu: water as leverage, water management and conservation
- Keralam: flood management
Agriculture and food processing
The brief identifies agriculture as one of the core sectors for enhancing bilateral cooperation, which is carried out through a Joint Working Group. The 8th meeting of the Indo-Dutch JWG on Agriculture Cooperation was held in the Netherlands in October 2025.
As part of agricultural cooperation, India and the Netherlands have signed an action plan that envisages establishing 25 Centres of Excellence (CoE). As of the brief, 8 CoEs are already functional.
Healthcare
India and the Netherlands work through a JWG under the MoU for Cooperation in the Field of Healthcare and Public Health. Its aim is to promote global research collaboration on emerging health challenges associated with communicable diseases and antimicrobial resistance. The MoU was most recently extended in 2025.
The 5th meeting of this JWG was held virtually in February 2024, with discussions on antimicrobial resistance, Covid-19 vaccination and collaboration on digital health.
In June 2025, a new MoU in the field of pharmaceuticals and medical device products was signed between the Department of Pharmaceuticals of the Government of India and the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sports of the Netherlands.
Urban development and smart cities
India and the Netherlands signed an MoU in the field of Spatial Planning, Water Management and Mobility Management in 2013, under which the two sides cooperate through a JWG. The 5th meeting of the JWG was held in May 2025. It discussed cooperation in fields including urban development, smart city, waste-to-value projects and geospatial innovation.
Renewable energy and climate resilience
The brief describes India and the Netherlands as having strong cooperation in renewable energy. An MoU on Renewable Energy was signed between the two countries on 12 September 2024.
The brief also records the following links through international bodies on energy and climate:
- The Netherlands signed the Framework Agreement of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) in May 2018.
- India is one of the convening countries of the Global Commission on Adaptation (GCA), which is headquartered in the Netherlands.
- The Netherlands joined the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) in 2021.
Prime Minister Modi addressed the Climate Adaptation Summit hosted by the Netherlands in January 2021. In that address he called for the CDRI and the GCA to work together to enhance infrastructure resilience globally.
Other areas of dialogue
The brief also lists functional-level Joint Working Groups or Dialogues on counter terrorism, policy planning and cyber issues between the two countries.
The JWG on Maritime Cooperation is described in the trade article of this guide, and the JWG on Science & Technology in the culture, education and community article.