T

he growing geo-strategic salience of the Indian Ocean in recent years has prompted the shift of global attention from the West to the East. The Indian Ocean is one of the most important channels of trade with more than 60 oil tankers passing through its waters daily, and this figure is expected to rise dramatically in the coming years.

The Indian Ocean Region (IOR) has rich natural resources, principally energy due to the proximity of the Persian Gulf.

With over two billion in population, IOR is an emerging market with abundant human resources. The region also includes countries embroiled in internecine conflicts because of what is widely believed to be major threats to global security emanating from this region.

Terrorism, illicit weapon trading, piracy, unreported and unregulated fishing, are prominent concerns for the region. Against this backdrop, the relevance and the importance of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) is clearly felt.

The idea for the creation of a regional grouping in the Indian Ocean region was first put forward by South Africa’s Nelson Mandela during his visit to India in 1995. Given the diversity, the disparity in terms of population, economic development in the region and the existence of organizations, such as ASEAN, South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Southern African Development Community (SADC), did not make the realization of this idea easy.

IORA, then known as the Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC), took shape after the First Ministerial Meeting in Mauritius on March 6 and 7, 1997 with 14 countries, which later expanded to 19 countries in 1999, five dialogue partners and one observer (Indian Ocean Tourism Organisation). Currently 20-year-old IORA has 21 members and seven dialogue partners.

IORA has often been criticized for not being a very prominent regional grouping. Scholars in the past have pointed out the member countries at that time were more concerned with how to use the platform of IORA for the furtherance of their own objectives, rather than think about the development of the IOR.

For instance, during the creation of IORA, South Africa had just come out off apartheid in the 1990’s and was trying to create an identity for itself in the international community.

During this time, Indonesia, along with many Asian countries, suffered a severe economic slowdown, which was known as the Asian financial crisis, in 1997, the year IORA was formed.

India, on the other hand, was taken aback for not being permitted to be a member of APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) and had just initiated its ‘Look East’ Policy in 1991 and therefore was looking for a platform to showcase its influence

IORA has adopted the APEC style – ‘open regionalism’ policy. Open regionalism signifies that the countries are not bound by any commitments, their actions are voluntary and decisions are taken on the basis of consensus.

There are two working groups, the Working Group on Trade and Investment, including representatives from governments for trade and economic cooperation, and the Working Group of Heads of Mission, consisting of ambassadors and heads of mission of IORA member states.

The IORA Secretariat is located in Mauritius and is headed by the secretary-general, who is appointed by the Council of Foreign Ministers.

Besides the IORA Charter, which aims to promote sustained growth, balanced development in the region and to create common ground for regional economic cooperation, IORA has identified six priority areas, which are: maritime safety and security; trade and investment facilitation; fisheries management; disaster risk management; academic, science and technology cooperation; tourism and cultural exchange, including women empowerment and blue economy, as a priority objective.

The upcoming Leaders Summit of IORA on March 7 in Jakarta will have the theme “Strengthening Maritime Cooperation for a Peaceful, Stable and Prosperous Indian Ocean”. The summit will be hosted by Indonesia, the current chair of IORA. In Jakarta, an IORA agreement will be made along with a plan of action with a focus on issues such as maritime security, boosting trade and investment, capacity building of fisher folk in IOR countries and diminishing illegal fishing and terrorism. This summit will serve to reflect on the evolution of IORA as a prominent regional organization for Indian Ocean countries.
____________________

The writer is a PhD scholar at the Centre for Indo-Pacific Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, and a visiting research fellow at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Jakarta.