Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA): Everything to Know

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Hello Folks, I hope you are applying every inch of hard work and effort to earn the prestigious uniform of the Indian Armed Forces. In this appreciable blog, I am going to profile one of the important international organisations for the SSB Group Discussion (recently asked in 19 SSB Allahabad) i.e. Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA).

Introduction:

The Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), formerly known as the Indian Ocean Rim Initiative and Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC) is an international organisation consisting of coastal states bordering the Indian Ocean.

The IORA is a regional forum, tripartite in nature, bringing together representatives of Government, Business and Academia, for promoting co-operation and closer interaction among the member states. 

Headquarters:

Ebene (Mauritius)

Official language:

English

Secretary general:

Dr Nomvuyo Nokwe

Establishment:

06 March 1997

Type:

Intergovernmental

Membership:

 ✓Australia

 ✓Bangladesh

 ✓Comoros

 ✓India

 ✓Indonesia

 ✓Iran

 ✓Kenya

 ✓Madagascar

 ✓Malaysia

 ✓Mauritius

 ✓Mozambique

 ✓Oman

 ✓Seychelles

 ✓Singapore

 ✓Somalia

 ✓South Africa

 ✓Sri Lanka

 ✓Tanzania

 ✓Thailand

 ✓United Arab Emirates

 ✓Yemen

 ✓Maldives

The IORA is based on the principles of Open Regionalism for strengthening Economic Cooperation particularly on Trade Facilitation and Investment, Promotion and Social Development of the region.

Secretariat of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA):

• The Coordinating Secretariat of IORA is located at Ebene (Mauritius).
• The Secretariat of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) is hosted by the Government of the Republic of Mauritius.
• It manages, coordinates, services and monitors the implementation of policy decisions, work programmes and projects adopted by the Council of Ministers. 
• The Secretariat is responsible for the servicing of all IORA meetings, the representation and promotion of the association, the collation and dissemination of information, the maintenance of an archive, depository and registry for IORA documentation and research material and the mobilization of resources.
• The Secretariat is headed by a Secretary General, who is assisted by four Directors and Experts, on voluntary secondment from Member States. 
• A Chair in Indian Ocean Studies has been established to support the work of the association through rigorous, in-depth research on the six priority areas of IORA. 

Priority Areas of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA):

• Maritime Security,
• Trade and Investment Facilitation.
• Fisheries Management.
• Disaster Risk Reduction.
• Academic and Scientific Cooperation.
• Tourism Promotion and Cultural Exchanges.

The IORA undertake projects for economic cooperation relating to trade facilitation and liberalisation, promotion of foreign investment, scientific and technological exchanges, tourism, movement of natural persons and service providers on a non-discriminatory basis amongst the members.

Objectives of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA):

• To promote balanced growth and sustainable development of the region and member states.
• To focus on those areas of economic cooperation, which provide maximum opportunities for development, shared interests and mutual benefits.
• To promote liberalisation, remove impediments and lower barriers towards a freer and enhanced flow of goods, services, investment and technology within the Indian Ocean Rim.
• To encourage close interaction of trade and industry, academic institutions, scholars and the peoples of the Member States without any discrimination among Member States and without prejudice to obligations under other regional economic and trade co-operation arrangements.
• To strengthen co-operation and dialogue among Member States in international fora on global economic issues, and where desirable to develop shared strategies and take common positions in the international fora on issues of mutual interest.
• To promote co-operation in development of human resources, particularly through closer linkages among training institutions, universities and other specialised institutions of the Member States.

I hope the article was helpful for all the defence aspirants, if you have any doubt at all or you want to suggest anything then please leave a comment to help you in the least possible time!!

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