Context: India is set to chair the Indian Ocean Rim Association for the next two years, starting November 2025.
Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA)
- IORA is an intergovernmental organisation of states on the rim of the Indian Ocean.
- Established: 1997
- Aim: To strengthen regional cooperation, sustainable development and economic growth among the countries in Asia, Africa, and Australia, connected by the Indian Ocean.
- IORA’s apex body is the Council of Foreign Ministers (COM) which meets annually. Council of Ministers has established a ‘Troika’ consisting of the chair, vice-chair and previous chair.
- Secretariat: Cyber City, Ebène, Mauritius.
Members of IORA
- 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.
- Members: Australia, Bangladesh, Comoros, France (since 2020), India, Indonesia, Iran, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Mozambique, Oman, Seychelles, Singapore, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
- Note: Pakistan is not a member of IORA.
Importance of Indian Ocean Region:
IOR is a crucial part of the broader Indo-Pacific and has significant strategic and economic importance.
- It is home to two-thirds of the global population.
- Facilitates 75% of global trade and 50% of daily oil consumption.
- Contributes $1 trillion in goods and services annually.
- Intra-IORA trade reached $800 billion in 2023.
Flagship Projects of IORA
- Indian Ocean Dialogue: Track 1.5 discussion diplomacy initiative that fosters an open and interactive platform for dialogue on strategic issues of the Indian Ocean Region.
- IORA Sustainable Development Program: Aims to assist Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) within the IORA framework by providing technical assistance and capacity-building support.
Challenges faced by IORA
- Funding Constraints: IORA’s annual budget is limited and highly dependent on its members, mostly developing economies, except for Singapore, the UAE, and France. IORA’s focus areas (maritime security, fisheries management, disaster risk reduction, blue economy) require sustained investment.
- Conflicting priorities: IORA consists of diverse membership (developed, developing, LDCs and SIDS), with different immediate priorities and challenges. This may hinder regional consensus. E.g., political instability in Sri Lanka.
- Environmental threats: Climate change-induced disasters and marine degradation threat specially to SIDS. (E.g., Maldives)
- Security concerns: Piracy, terrorism, and human and drug trafficking. The absence of a unified security network poses coordination challenges.
- Limited Economic Integration: IORA does not have a comprehensive FREE Trade Agreement unlike EU, or ASEAN.
- IORA lacks a legal enforcement mechanism to ensure adherence to agreements.
India and IORA
- As India prepares to assume the chairmanship of IORA, India's three key priorities as chair include:
- Expanding funding opportunities to increase IORA’s budget (by further involving private sector stakeholders in the maritime industry)
- Strengthening the Blue Economy and developing maritime-ready academic courses in collaboration with research institutions.
- Integrating technology for efficient data management and policy analysis to improve efficiency and decision-making.
- India’s Security and Growth for All (SAGAR) Vision comfortably aligns with IORA’s objectives and offers a roadmap for strengthening regional cooperation.
With a proactive approach, India can strengthen IORA’s role as a key driver of stability and sustainable development in the Indian Ocean Region.