Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA)

Why in news?

• Sri Lanka will assume the chair of IORA and India will assume the role of vice-chair role of the regional grouping for 2023-25 during the IORA meeting to be held on October 11.

About IORA

• It is an inter-governmental organisation aimed at strengthening regional cooperation and sustainable development within the Indian Ocean region through its 23 Member States bordering the Indian Ocean and 11 Dialogue Partners.
• It was formed in 1997 and its secretariat is in Mauritius.
• 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 them.
• It is based on the principles of Open Regionalism for strengthening Economic Cooperation particularly on Trade Facilitation and Investment, Promotion as well as Social Development of the region.
• All sovereign States of the Indian Ocean Rim are eligible for membership of the Association. To become members, States must adhere to the principles and objectives enshrined in the Charter of the Association.
• The IORA Fisheries Support Unit (FSU), which is hosted by the Sultanate of Oman, manages and spearheads IORA efforts to identify and discuss key fisheries-related issues.
• The members include Australia, Bangladesh, Comoros, France, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mozambique, Oman, Seychelles, Singapore, Somalia, South-Africa, SriLanka, Tanzania, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, Maldives and Yemen.
• China, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Germany, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Russia, Turkey, United Kingdom and United States of America are the dialogue partners.

PRACTICE QUESTION:

Which among the following are member states of Indian Ocean Rim Association?

1. Saudi Arabia
2. India
3. Egypt
4. France

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 1, 2 and 3 only

(c) 2 and 4 only

(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

Answer