3-Nov-2022: Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) seminar on Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing
A Seminar on Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing, under the aegis of Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), was conducted by the Indian Navy at Goa on 02 November 2022.
As the third largest ocean, the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) is a lifeline for nearly 35% of global population. Fish and Fisheries comprise important components of food security chain. These also contribute significantly to national socio-economic development. Sustainable fishing is seriously compromised by IUU fishing activities and are therefore a major cause of concern for the littorals of IOR. This was accordingly identified as an area of greater collaboration by the IORA Working Group on Maritime Safety and Security (WGMSS), established in September 2018. The WGMSS is presently chaired by Sri Lanka, and is advancing the IORA Action Plan 2017-21, adopted by IORA Member States.
The Seminar was conducted by the Indian Navy on behalf of the Ministry of Defence, under the guidance of the Ministry of External Affairs and duly supported by the Department of Fisheries, functioning under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying and other agencies of the Govt of India.
Representatives from 14 out of 23 IORA Member States (Bangladesh, Comoros, France, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Madagascar, Maldives, Mauritius, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Seychelles, Tanzania and Thailand) attended the Seminar.
During the Seminar, the attendees reviewed the scale of IUU fishing activities in the IOR, discussed the adverse effects of such developments on marine ecosystem, the legal voids in tackling these activities and deliberated upon collaborative strategies and capacity building measures that could be pursued by the IORA Member States towards mitigating the menace of IUU Fishing in IOR.
Established in 1997, this year marks the 25th Anniversary of IORA. India, as a founding member of IORA, remains committed to IORA’s agenda of promoting cooperation in the region to ensure a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indian Ocean Region.
13-Nov-2019: Official Press Release: 19th IORA Council of Ministers Meeting
The UAE’s theme for its two-year period as Chair of IORA was “Promoting a Shared Destiny and Path to Prosperity in the Indian Ocean”. H.E. Al Sayegh said that the UAE “was incredibly proud to chair IORA, 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”.
The UAE wishes to leave a lasting legacy that not only allows IORA to fulfil its potential as a globally significant regional organization, but one that brings our counties together in the spirit of cooperation. Bangladesh assumed the position of Vice-Chair of IORA during the meeting. Admiral (retd.)
The meeting was attended by IORA’s 22 Member States and nine Dialogue Partners. The attached Abu Dhabi Communique was produced as the final outcome document.
Other notable achievements included:
- the signing of the IORA Instrument of Acceptance by the Republic of Maldives, IORA’s newest Member State; agreement to include the Republic of Italy as IORA’s 10th Dialogue Partner; agreement to include the Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association (WIOMSA) as an Observer; the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for Promotion of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) by the United Republic of Tanzania; signing of the MOU to strengthen IORA between the IORA Secretariat and the German Development Agency (GIZ) governing a EUR995,000 partnership over three years;
- signing of the MOU on Application of Science and Technology and Innovation for Sustainable Development between the IORA Secretariat and the Centre for Science and Technology of the Non-Aligned Movement and other developing countries (NAM S&T Centre) on Application of Science and Technology and Innovation for Sustainable Development;
- endorsement of a MOU to strengthen IORA between the IORA Secretariat and the French Development Agency (AFD) governing a EUR1 million partnership over three years welcoming of a USD1 million contribution from India to the IORA Special Fund welcoming of a USD100,000 contribution from China to the IORA Special Fund launching of the Journal of the Indian Ocean Rim Studies (volume two, issue one).
9-Nov-2019: 19th Council of Ministers Meeting of IORA
Country Statement delivered by Minister of State for External Affairs during the 19th Council of Ministers Meeting of IORA, Abu Dhabi (07 November 2019).
Your Excellency, Minister Sayegh;
Excellencies, colleague Ministers;
I thank our hosts for the outstanding arrangements and the hospitality for which the Emirati people are famous. I also reaffirm the priority India attaches to the IORA, as an innovative concept, and a unique, broad-based platform for inter-regional partnership, connecting through the seas, the world’s most dynamic regions of South, Southeast and West Asia, Oceania and Africa.
Our meeting today is timely. Over the past year, the world has remained in ferment. Yet a positive consequence is increased faith in suitably-reformed multilateralism. The value of partnerships drives us to focus on maintaining the open and inclusive nature of the maritime domain, and to reaffirm the importance for all nations to adhere to international rules and laws. This is both at the heart of IORA, and the increasing trend of nations located in this region, or with significant interests in it, to articulate the need for a free, open, inclusive and rules-based Indo-Pacific.
India is pleased to note commonalities in its vision of the Indo-Pacific, and those of partners in IORA. We look forward to inputs for an IORA-specific understanding of the Indo-Pacific from the 6th Indian Ocean Dialogue, and the Indian Ocean Rim Academic Group meeting, both of which India will host in December along with the Expert Group on Academics, Science and Technology Cooperation.
Our Senior Officials have agreed on programmes for IORA’s Action Plan in its two remaining years. We urge greater focus on implementation: our group should not focus only on projects and events, but on focused, impactful actions. For this, we have a few suggestions:
First, administration and finance. A ship is only as fast as its engine room is sound. And despite efforts by our Secretariat, there is a need for all to pull their weight. We need to improve rules and procedures for the Secretariat, especially our Special Fund. As promised, my Ministry will send a team from its audit and finance departments later this month, to advise us on the Fund. We will also be deploying at our cost an IT specialist from the National Informatics Centre of India. The selected officer will leave for Port Louis soon, to start work within this year. And we are deploying a new Director, again at our cost, at the Secretariat.
There is an obvious link between efficiency of the Secretariat and finances. There is a mis-match between our annual contributions, and the needs of the Secretariat and our Plan of Action. We should task officials to devise a new, equitable payment plan that does not increase the burden on States that cannot afford to pay more.
Since this will take time, and presuming we can improve the working method of our Special Fund, we invite partners to add resources to the Fund, to support practical cooperation. We have just deposited US $ 1 million to the Fund last week.
Second, practicable work plans are key. We welcome finalization of such Work Plans in our priority areas. Our calendar of activities must be well-balanced, and experts from our line Ministries should be suitably involved.
As Coordinator of the Priority Area on Disaster Risk Management, we are pleased to have circulated here Guidelines for Disaster Risk Management. We were glad IORA partners joined us for our annual HA/DR exercises this past August. Lessons learned were circulated recently. Given the vulnerability of the larger Indo-Pacific region to natural disasters, we believe such exercises should have the widest-possible participation. We also encourage partners to join the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure, launched at the United Nations this past September. And we look forward to positive responses on the MOU we have circulated in IORA, to share information from our Information Fusion Centre for the Indian Ocean Region.
Third: widening the circle. IORA will be more effective when we go beyond policy makers and academics to bring in business and other stakeholders. Our activities and programmes must have a real-world impact.
In this context, we are pleased to help promote intra-IORA trade and tourism. We will host a workshop on beach and cruise tourism in Spring 2020, in partnership with our business chamber. And we are hosting a course in film making at our National Film and Television Institute in February. Our businesses have also made more suggestions to improve intra-IORA trade through trade facilitation and promotional activities. These are valuable suggestions, considering that the sea routes in the Indian Ocean should connect our countries with each other as well.
In this context, we see value in greater intra-IORA work on the Blue Economy and on Science and Technology. Bearing in mind the risk that pollution, especially plastic waste, unregulated exploitation of resources including illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, poses to the environmental equilibrium of our oceans, we need to task our scientists and oceanographers to increase understanding of these challenges and to convey to policy makers solutions to address these challenges.
In this regard, our Prime Minister recently announced an Indo-Pacific initiative for the Oceans. It calls for creating partnerships to deal with specific challenges to our maritime domain, from security and safety to disaster management; from sustainable management of resources to better trade and transport links. We will be happy to share details so that we can collectively address the challenges to Indian Ocean.
Dialogue Partnerships symbolize inclusivity and cooperation. We welcome interest evinced by so many of our valued partners in the IORA. It is now our Group’s responsibility to establish a workable model to engage with Dialogue Partners that is in line with the inclusive nature of the group and its objectives, while prioritizing the Member State-led nature of its processes.
India congratulates the UAE in assuming the chair of the IORA. We are certain that under the leadership of the UAE, IORA will attain greater heights and move towards achieving the objectives set out in the IORA Charter. India and the UAE share historical friendship connected by the Indian Ocean with strong people to people ties. India will actively support the UAE in its efforts to promote a shared destiny and a path to prosperity in the Indian Ocean.
Let me conclude by recording our appreciation to South Africa for its leadership of IORA these past years. We also welcome India’s close neighbour and valued friend, Bangladesh, to the Troika, as the next Chair. We also congratulate Maldives on becoming full member of the IORA and welcome them warmly to the IORA family.
19-Oct-2019: 19th IORA Council of Ministers Meeting on 7 November 2019
The United Arab Emirates (UAE), as the incoming IORA Chair, will host the 19th IORA Council of Ministers (COM) Meeting on 7 November 2019 in Abu Dhabi under the theme of “Promoting a Shared Destiny and Path to Prosperity in the Indian Ocean”.
6-Feb-2019: IORA Meet on Disaster Risk Management concludes
The meeting of Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Cluster Group on Disaster Risk Management (DRM) to strengthen cooperation in disaster response concluded.
The two-day workshop was organised by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in collaboration with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA).
IORA is an intergovernmental organisation and has many disaster-prone countries among its 22 members and nine dialogue partners. Disaster Response Management (DRM) is one of its priority areas and its Action Plan (2017-2021) has specific goals to improve resilience in IORA countries.
Participants at the meet drew a draft work plan for DRM in IORA and deliberated on the need for establishing a DRM Core Group to take forward the agreed objectives under the Work Plan.
Discussions on strengthening cooperation in disaster response interventions, including deployment of response teams and mobilization of relief material to affected countries, were held. Besides, information exchange, sharing of best practices, data and early warning technologies were also discussed.
A total of 36 delegates from eight Member States, including India, and the IORA Secretariat participated in this meeting. Senior officials of MHA, MEA, NDMA and NDRF were also present.
4-Feb-2019: Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) meet on Disaster Risk Management begins tomorrow
The Ministry of Home Affairs in collaboration with the Ministry of External Affairs and National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) is organising a meeting of Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Cluster Group on Disaster Risk Management (DRM) on 5-6 February 2019 in New Delhi.
Indian Ocean Rim Association is an inter-governmental organisation and has many disaster-prone countries among its 22 members and nine dialogue partners. DRM is one of its priority areas and its Action Plan (2017-2021) has specific goals to improve resilience in IORA countries.
The two-day meeting will feature interactive sessions and will focus on development of a draft Work Plan for DRM in IORA. It will also deliberate on the need for establishing a DRM Core Group to take forward the agreed objectives under the Work Plan.
It would strengthen cooperation in disaster response interventions, including deployment of response teams and mobilization of relief material to affected countries. Deliberations at the meeting would also aid information exchange, establishment of disaster database(s) and sharing of best practices.
4-Oct-2018: 21 IORA Countries adopt the Delhi Declaration on Renewable Energy
As many as 21 countries in the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) adopted the Delhi Declaration on Renewable Energy in the Indian Ocean Region, post the 2nd IORA Renewable Energy Ministerial Meeting held at the 2nd Global Re-Invest India-ISA Partnership Renewable Energy Investor’s Meet & Expo in Greater Noida.
The Delhi Declaration on Renewable Energy in the Indian Ocean Region calls for collaboration among IORA member states in meeting the growing demand for renewable energy in the Indian Ocean littorals, development of a common renewable energy agenda for the Indian Ocean region and promote regional capacity building.
The declaration also calls for promotion of technology development and transfer, strengthening of public private partnerships in renewable energy and collaboration among IORA member states and the member nations of the International Solar Alliance (ISA). IORA member countries also resolved to collaborate with the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).
As per the declaration adopted, IORA member nations will collaborate with the ISA member nations to exchange knowledge and share views and potential interests in the renewable energy sector; paved by the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between IORA and ISA on 3 October 2018, with a focus on joint capacity-building programs, research & development activities in solar energy and exchange of best practices.
Additionally, IORA member nations and IRENA will undertake the expansion of the Global Renewable Energy Atlas, the world’s largest-ever joint renewable resource data project, coordinated by IRENA, thereby creating the Indian Ocean region's first and most comprehensive map and database which can then be used to tap the sizable renewable energy potential of the region; and to collaborate on opportunities available under the International Renewable Energy Learning Platform (IRELP).
The Indian Ocean Rim Association was set up with the objective of strengthening regional cooperation and sustainable development within the Indian Ocean Region with 21 Member States and 7 Dialogue Partners. The last Renewable Energy Ministerial Meeting was held on 21st January, 2014 in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Subsequently, during the meeting of IORA Council of Ministers, held in October, 2016 in Bali, Indonesia, it was decided that the next conference will be held in India. In line with the commitment made, India hosted the 2nd IORA Renewable Energy Ministerial meet today.
India, Australia, Iran IR, Indonesia Thailand, Malaysia, South Africa, Mozambique, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Bangladesh, Singapore, Mauritius, Madagascar, UAE, Yemen, Seychelles, Somalia, Comoros and Oman are members of IORA.
19-Jan-2017: Workshop on MSME Cooperation amongst Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Member Countries.
Union Minister of MSME, Shri Kalraj Mishra today inaugurated Workshop on MSME Cooperation amongst Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Member countries. Speaking on the occasion, he said that this workshop will strengthen economic relationship amongst the member countries in the field of trade and investment facilitation especially in MSME sector. He also stated that India has Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) with 18 countries for cooperation in MSME sector. The National Small Industries Corporation of India, Public Sector Enterprise under the Ministry of MSME has 34 MoUs with its counterpart organizations of foreign countries for cooperation in MSME sector.
Workshop on SME cooperation will facilitate exchange of ideas, concerns and experiences of IORA member states and would help evolve a common MoU to address the emerging challenges in the region in MSME sector. The resilience in IORA over the last 20 years has been its innate strength. IORA’s evolution and growth have consistently seen an upward trajectory. This strength must be reinforced by ensuring independence of strategy and priority. The onus of strengthening the regionalism in a composite manner must rest first on the shoulders of IORA members themselves.
IORA region has emerged as a strong one with the highest growth prospects in the world. India and IORA together represent a huge market in which suppliers can build scale and efficiency and investors can allocate capital most productively.
IORA secretariat’s efforts in enhancing cooperation between the IORA member countries in terms of industrial and cultural cooperation. The MSMEs in the IORA member countries help in alleviating poverty by creating more job opportunities.
With the combined population of over 2 billion, IORA and India represent a vast market for goods and services and it is highly attractive due to large segment of high consuming middle class of about 600 million persons in India. This workshop will inspire the member countries to further cooperation and seek opportunities to support the progress towards mutual goals.
Background:
Workshop on MSME Cooperation amongst IORA member countries was organized in pursuance of the commitment made by India in the Economic Business Conference - II (EBC- II) held in Dubai in April, 2016. The Ministry of MSME, Government of India in consultation with the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India and IORA Secretariat organized this Workshop, wherein 29 representatives from 14 member countries, viz., Mozambique, Madagascar, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Comoros, Kenya, Seychelles, Malaysia, Mauritius, Singapore, Australia, UAE and Yemen participated.
MoU for MSME Cooperation amongst Indian Ocean Rim Association member countries will provide an appropriate platform to IORA MSMEs to interact with each other, participate in trade fairs, facilitate buyer-seller meetings and visits of delegations, acquire appropriate technology and explore trade and investment opportunities. The MoU will enhance market access, promote access to finance, promote innovation as a key competitive advantage for MSME, build capacity in management and entrepreneurship.
MSMEs constitute more than 90% of all business enterprises in the world and provide nearly 70% of global employment. The overwhelming majority of MSMEs in the developing world are micro-enterprises with fewer than 10 employees. India has more than 48 million MSMEs. These contribute more than 45% of India’s industrial output, 40% of the country’s total exports and create 1.3 million jobs every year.
India has already signed Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) with 18 countries for cooperation in MSME sector. The National Small Industries Corporation of India, Public Sector Enterprise under the Ministry of MSME has 34 MoUs with its counterpart organizations of foreign countries for cooperation in MSME sector.