The Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) is an international body comprising the coastal countries that border the Indian Ocean. It is the only ministerial-level organization that focuses purely on the Indian Ocean region, bound together by growing economic and trade linkages and a shared interest in promoting prosperity, peace and stability.
Features:
- The Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) was previously named the Indian Ocean Rim Initiative.
- It was also called the Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation or the IOR-ARC for short.
- It is a regional tripartite forum that gathers government representatives, academia and business leaders for encouraging cooperation and greater interaction between them.
- The organisation is founded upon the values of open regionalism for boosting economic cooperation especially on the realms of trade facilitation, investment, the region’s social development and promotion.
- The IORA was formed in March 1997.
- The idea for the IORA was formed by India and South Africa.
Member Nations:
All sovereign States of the Indian Ocean Rim are eligible for membership of the Association. To become members, States must adhere to the principles and objectives enshrined in the Charter of the Association. Currently, it has 23 member states
Australia, Bangladesh, Comoros, France, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Mozambique, Oman, Seychelles, Singapore, Somalia , South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, United Arab Emirates and Republic of Yemen.
Objectives
- Promoting balanced development and sustainable growth in the regions of the Member States.
- Considering areas that provide maximum opportunities for development through economic cooperation.
- Other objectives to help member countries achieve an enhanced flow of goods, services, investment, and technology include:
- Promoting liberalisation
- Removing impediments
- Lowering barriers
Indian Ocean Dialogue – (IOD)
The Indian Ocean Dialogue (IOD) is a flagship initiative of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), with its origins in the 13th Council of Ministers meeting, held in November 2013 in Perth, Australia.
IORA Sustainable Development Program (ISDP)
The ISDP is a project-based program intended to meet the needs of the Member States of the IORA. Project proposals are formulated by the Member countries in collaboration with IORA Secretariat. As an instrument of sustainable development, the ISDP Program is expected to strengthen regional cooperation and forge new partnerships within the IORA Member States and with Dialogue Partners.
India’s Role
- India continues to promote its official policy of “coordination, cooperation and partnership” in the regional maritime domain.
- As coordinator to the priority area on disaster risk management, India has published guidelines for IORA. It has also urged partners to join the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure launched at the UN in September 2019.
- India has been trying to emerge as the net provider of information in the IOR and in that direction it created the Information Fusion Centre located in Gurugram to assist member countries of IOR with real-time crisis information. Bangladesh, Mauritius, Maldives, Sri Lanka and Seychelles have been part of the information support structure of India.
- Indian policy takes into consideration that IOR is not an India-run maritime domain and that is reflected in the government’s Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR) programme, which aims to turn the region more inclusive.
Reference: https://www.iora.int/en
