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ndonesia has urged experts from the 21 member countries of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), and the seven observer countries gathering in Yogyakarta, to contribute their ideas for security and stability in the region.

Indonesian Deputy Foreign Minister AM Fachir said as IORA’s 2015-2017 chair, Indonesia invited the experts to look at the importance of the Indian Ocean. “Hopefully there will be input to compose the guidelines for the IORA Concord,” Fachir told reporters after officially opening the two-day international symposium held to commemorate IORA’s 20th anniversary in Yogyakarta on Wednesday.

He said Indonesia would host the first IORA Summit next year, expected to come up with the IORA Concord, the input for which was discussed in the symposium, which ends on Thursday.

In his opening remarks Fachir said that for a long time the Indian Ocean had been largely free of conflict. The area, he said, connected Africa, South and East Asia with other parts of the world and was a major shipping route.

The Indian Ocean, he added, was also rich in fish and other natural resources including oil, gas and minerals ready for exploitation. “The Indian Ocean is the world’s third-largest ocean and the lifeline of the global economy and trade,” he said.

Yet, with all its richness and strategic position the region was not without problems, which could influence economic growth.

Among the traditional problems are piracy, natural disasters and climate change, while non-traditional ones include human trafficking, the illicit drug trade as well as illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. “IUU fishing is currently our shared challenge,” he said.

Similarly, Rokhmin Dahuri, a senior researcher at the Center for Coastal and Marine Resources Studies of the Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB), said IUU fishing was a challenge in the marine field for which a solution was needed.

Rokhmin told the symposium there were nine types of IUU fishing, including fishing without licenses or using false licenses in other countries’ maritime territory and catching prohibited fish species

“The negative impact of IUU fishing is direct economic losses, globally around US$50 billion per year, and Indonesia loses about $2 billion per year,” he said.

IUU fishing, he said, was also a threat to the sustainability of the livelihoods of local small-scale fishermen due to large-scale poaching and use of modern technology. It is also a threat to the sustainability of fisheries resources and the marine environment.

Rokhmin therefore offered some solutions for combating IUU fishing. He said importing countries should not accept fish, seafood sourced from IUU fishing practices. Tough law enforcement and increased awareness of the negative impacts of IUU fishing were also necessary.

Indian Ambassador to Indonesia Nengcha Lhouvum Mukhopadhaya in her presentation also stated that IUU fishing was a challenge to Indian Ocean security. She added that safety and security of vital trade routes in the Indian Ocean must be ensured by adopting inclusive approaches and strategies, sharing of best practices and meeting gaps in the capacities of IORA members.

She also called on IORA member countries to respect international law, national sovereignty and non interference, and the resolution of territorial and maritime disputes through peaceful means in accordance with universally recognized international law.

Established in Mauritius in 1997, IORA members comprise Australia, Bangladesh, Comoros, Indonesia, India, Iran, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mozambique, Oman, Seychelles, Singapore, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.

China, Egypt, France, Germany, Japan, the UK, the US and Germany are observer countries or dialogue partners.