IORA Established: | 7 March 1997. |
IORA Members: | 23 Members. |
IORA Headquarters: | Ebene, Mauritius. |
IORA Secretary-General: | Dr Gatot Hari Gunawan. |
IORA Region: | Indian Ocean Region. |
The IORA is a regional intergovernmental international organization consisting of coastal states bordering the Indian Ocean. The IORA nations consist of about 2.7 billion peoples and about $12 trillion GDP in the world. Member states of the IORA are rich in cultural diversity and richness in languages, religions, traditions, arts, and cuisines.
Initially, it was established as the Indian Ocean Rim Initiative in Mauritius in March 1995, and The IORA came into existence on 7 March 1997.
Currently, IORA comprises 23 permanent member states and 9 dialogue partner states.
Bangladesh | India |
Sri-Lanka | Iran |
Kenya | Tanzania |
Comoros | Seychelles |
Mozambique | Madagascar |
Mauritius | Maldives |
UAE | Oman |
Yemen | Somalia |
South Africa | Thailand |
Malaysia | Singapore |
Indonesia | Australia |
France |
Japan | China |
Egypt | South Korea |
Italy |
Germany | United Kingdom |
United States | Turkey |
The main objectives of IORA are to promote sustained growth and balanced development in the Indian Ocean region. The IORA also focuses on maritime safety and security, trade and investment facilitation, fisheries management, disaster risk management, tourism and cultural exchange, academic science and technology, the Blue Economy, and women's economic empowerment.
The headquarters of the IORA is situated in Cyber City, Ebene, Mauritius.
The Council of foreign ministers (COM) of the member countries is the apex body of the IORA and meets annually to make a roadmap for future developments and review the previous policies and agenda. A committee of senior officials from the member nations also meets twice a year to review the progress of the policies and projects made before and consider recommendations.
The chairmanship of the country is decided by the Council of foreign ministers when the term of incumbent chair expires. The incoming Chair nation is served as the Vice-Chair of the Association during the term of the incumbent Chair. The main role of the Chair is to arrange, coordinate, host the meetings of the Council of foreign ministers, the Committee of Senior Officials, etc.
India is an active member of the IORA, as this organization is created for the Indian Ocean region countries, and India is located at the center point of the Indian ocean.