Context:
Sri Lanka has taken over the chairmanship and also India assumed position of Vice Chair of the Indian Ocean Rim Association for the next two years.
About IORA:
- An intergovernmental organisation of states on the rim of the Indian Ocean established in 1997.
- Aim – To strengthen regional cooperation and sustainable development within the Indian Ocean region.
- Apex body – Council of Foreign Ministers (COM) [meets annually]
- ‘Troika’ – Established by Council of Ministers consisting of the Chair, Vice-chair and Previous chair.
- If there is no voluntary offer, the Chair is elected on the basis of geographical consideration.
- Members of IORA –
- 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 Yemen.
- 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.
- Note: Pakistan is not a member of IORA.
- Secretariat of the IORA – Cyber City, Ebène, Mauritius [Hosted by the Government of the Republic of Mauritius]
Flagship Projects of IORA:
- Indian Ocean Dialogue (IOD) –
- A standalone Track 1.5 discussion encouraging an open and free flowing dialogue by key representatives of IORA Member States such as scholars, experts, analysts and policymakers from governments, think tank and civil societies on a number of crucial strategic issues of the Indian Ocean Region.
- 1st IOD meeting – Kerala, India (2014)
- IORA Sustainable Development Program (ISDP) –
- Aim – To assist least developed countries that require assistance and support to conduct projects, with the purpose to promote sharing experiences and best practices among IORA member states.
- Other projects – Somalia and Yemen Development Program (SYDP), IORA-Nelson Mandela Be the Legacy Programme, IORA-UN Women Women’s Economic Empowerment Project
Previous Year Question
With reference to ‘Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation (IORARC)’, consider the following statements:
1. It was established very recently in response to incidents of piracy and accidents of oil spills.
2. It is an alliance meant for maritime security only.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2015 Prelims]
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
Answer: (d)
