INDIAN OCEAN RIM ASSOCIATION

Context

Sri Lanka is set to take over the chairmanship of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) during the 23rd Council of Ministers' Meeting scheduled for 11th October, 2023, in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Historical Background

• During a visit to India in 1995, Nelson Mandela, the South African President at the time, expressed the idea for IORA, saying that "the natural urge of the facts of history and geography should broaden itself to include the concept of an Indian Ocean rim for socio-economic co-operation."

• It served as the foundation for the March 1995 launch of the Indian Ocean Rim Initiative and the March 1997 founding of the Indian Ocean Rim Association, which was formerly known as the Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation.

Indian Ocean Rim Association

• About: The Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) is a dynamic inter-governmental organisation aimed at strengthening regional cooperation and sustainable development within the Indian Ocean region.
• Members:

• Currently, IORA has 11 Dialogue Partners and 23 Member States.
• Members: Bangladesh, Australia Comoros, France, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Mozambique, Oman, Seychelles, Singapore, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, Yemen.
• Dialogue Partners: Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Germany, Italy, China Japan, South Korea, Russia, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America.
• Secretariat: Mauritius.
• Six Priority and Two Focus Areas:

• Indian Ocean: The Indian Ocean continues to be a vital link for global trade and transportation, being the third largest ocean connected by trade routes and in charge of key sea lanes that carry half of all container ships, one-third of all bulk cargo, and two-thirds of all oil shipments worldwide.

Q. With reference to ‘Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC)’, consider the following statements: (UPSC-2015)

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?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Ans: (d)

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