Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA)

13.10.2023

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Why in the news?

Recently the 23rd Council of Ministers meeting of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) was held.

About the 23rd Council of Ministers of IORA:

• The 23rd Council of Ministers meeting of IORA was held on 11 October 2023 in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
• Theme of the 23rd Council of Ministers of IORA: “Strengthening the regional architecture and strengthening the identity of the Indian Ocean.”
• Sri Lanka assumed the Chairmanship of IORA in the 23rd Council of Ministers meeting of IORA.
• Sri Lanka will serve as the President of IORA for the next two years (2023 to 2025).
• Bangladesh, preceded by Sri Lanka, chaired it from November 2021 to November 2023.
• In this important meeting, India has assumed the role of Vice Chair in IORA for 2023-25.
• India will chair IORA from 2025-27.

About Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA):

• It was established in 1997.
• Its headquarters is located in Cyber City, Abene, Mauritius.
• IORA is an intergovernmental organization.
• Objective of IORA: To ensure sustainable development of the Indian Ocean Region.
• It was formerly known as Indian Ocean Rim Initiative and Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC).

Membership:

• It comprises 23 member states and 11 dialogue partners from the regions around the Indian Ocean.
• Members: Australia, Bangladesh, Comoros, French Republic, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mozambique, Oman, Seychelles, Singapore, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, Maldives, And Yemen.
• Dialogue Partners: China, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Germany, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Russia, Turkey, United Kingdom and United States.

structure:

• The supreme body of IORA is the Council of Foreign Ministers (COM) which meets annually.
• It is the highest decision making body of IORA.
• The United Arab Emirates (UAE) served as chair from November 2019 – November 2021, followed by the People's Republic of Bangladesh from November 2021 – November 2023.
• A Committee of Senior Officials (CSO) meets twice a year to advance IORA's agenda and consider recommendations from working groups and forums of officials, business and academics.

Work:

• It manages, coordinates, services and monitors the implementation of policy decisions, work programs and projects adopted by the Member States.
• Development through economic cooperation.
• To strengthen regional cooperation and promote sustainable development within the Indian Ocean region.

focus areas:

There are 6 priority and 2 focus areas.

• Marine Security (Green Marine Zone).
• Trade and Investment Facilitation.
• Fisheries Management.
• disaster risk reduction.
• Academic and Scientific Cooperation (Indian Ocean Naval Symposium).
• Tourism promotion and cultural exchange.
• Blue economy.
• Women economic empowerment.

Importance:

• The association gains importance from the fact that the Indian Ocean transports half of the world's container ships, one-third of the world's bulk cargo traffic and two-thirds of the world's oil shipments.
• It is the lifeline of international trade and transport and the Indian Ocean region is woven together by trade routes and controls major sea routes.

Major Projects under IORA:

• Fisheries Support Unit (FSU): The National Center for Marine Science and Fisheries in Muscat, Oman, is home to the Fisheries Support Unit, the first initiative financed by the Special Fund, which began operations in late 2011.
• Regional Center for Science and Technology Transfer (RCSTT): Tehran, Iran serves as the home base for the IORA Regional Center for Science and Technology Transfer (IORA RCSTT), which was established in October 2008.
• Indian Ocean Dialogue (IOD): Indian Ocean Dialogue (IOD) is a flagship initiative of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), which was launched at the 13th Council of Ministers meeting held in Perth, Australia in November 2013.
• IORA Sustainable Development Program (ISDP): It was established in 2014 with a focus on least developed countries in an effort to reduce the gap between rich and poor member states by sharing best practices in the Blue Economy.

Source:The Hindu