Milestone

Inaugural IORA Leaders' Summit was held in Jakarta, Indonesia to commemorate the Twentieth Anniversary of IORA.

Three strategic documents were issued during the celebrations at the leaders’ summit:

• The Jakarta concord, the Indian Ocean Rim Association: promoting regional cooperation for a peaceful, stable and prosperous indian ocean
• The IORA Action Plan for 2017-2021
• The Declaration on Preventing and Countering Terrorism and Violent extremism

Launch of the online Journal of Indian Ocean Rim Studies (JIORS) spearheaded by the chair in Indian Ocean Studies

Visits by Head of State to the secretariat by the President of Madagascar, H.E. Mr Hery Rajaonarimampianina

Visit to the secretariat by the president of Mauritius, H.E. Mrs Ameenah Gurib-Fakim

First workshop was held with a dialogue partner in Qingdao, China on The Blue Economy

Symposium on “Learning from the past and charting the future” was held in Yogyakarta, Indonesia

Ministerial Declaration on Gender Equality and Women’s Economic Empowerment was issued in Bali, Indonesia

First IORA Ministerial Blue Economy Conference (BEC-I) was held in Mauritius and issued the Mauritius Declaration on the Blue Economy

A  Ministerial Maritime Cooperation Declaration was issued by the Council of Ministers, Padang, Indonesia

Germany joined as a dialogue partner

Flagship publication of the Journal of the Indian Ocean region (or JIOR), which is affiliated with the Indian Ocean Rim Academic Group (IORAG) was published to increase scholarship around the rim

First IORA Blue Economy Core Group Workshop met in Durban, South Africa

Mahé Consensus on Gender Equality and Women’s Economic Empowerment was issued in Mahé, Seychelles to improve the lives of women

IORA increased its regional and multilateral engagement and was granted Observer Status at the United Nations General Assembly and also accredited to the African Union

Sectorial meetings at ministerial level are held on:

• Renewable energy: first meeting of the renewable energy ministerial forum in Abu Dhabi, UAE which produced the Abu Dhabi Declaration

Sectorial meetings at ministerial level are held on:

• Tourism: First IORA Tourism Ministerial meeting in Seychelles in Beau Vallon, Seychelles resulting in the Seychelles Declaration

Resigned IORA charter by Member states as a symbol of renewed commitment for Indian Ocean regionalism in Perth, Australia 

Member states signed the memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Search and Rescue Cooperation to Enable Cooperation in Search and Rescue Activities across the Indian Ocean in Perth, Australia

Blue Economy identified as a special focus area by ministers in Perth, Australia as an important driver for balanced economic and sustainable development

Economic Declaration adopted by ministers in Perth, Australia to identify shared principles for sustainable and inclusive economic growth

IORA Sustainable Development Programme (ISDP) was launched to support least developed countries actively participate and host in IORA activities

Somalia joined the association

First Indian Ocean Dialogue held in Kochi, India as a 1.5 track forum to discuss challenges and opportunities; subsequent dialogues held in Perth, Padang and Abu Dhabi

IOR-ARC was renamed IORA, The Indian Ocean Rim Association

First Ministerial Meeting was held on Trade and Investment (The Economic and Business Conference or EBC-I) in Mauritius and issued a joint communique to strengthen trade relations

First Ministerial Declaration issued on ‘Principles For Peaceful Productive And Sustainable Use Of The Indian Ocean And Its Resources’ in Perth, Australia

First Ministerial Retreat held in the sidelines of The COM Meeting, Perth, Australia to explore and reflect on key issues

Women’s Economic Empowerment was identified as a cross-cutting area by foreign ministers

Inauguration of the New IOR-ARC secretariat premises in Ebene, Mauritius by H.E Dr Arvind Boolell, Foreign Minister of Mauritius

India contributes USD$1 Million to The Special Fund, along with other Member States and Dialogue Partners including Australia, Iran, Indonesia, Oman, UAE, Yemen and China

The Union of Comoros joined as Member State and The United States Of America as a Dialogue Partner

Revitalization of IOR-ARC by adoption of six new priority areas in The Council Of Ministers, Bengaluru, India

Seychelles re-joined the association

IOR-ARC charter revised at the 10^TH Meeting of The Council Of Ministers, Sana’a, Yemen to revitalise the association

Indian Ocean Research Group (IORG) became an Observer

Establishment of The Regional Centre for Science and Technology (RCSTT) in Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran to support Applied Research, Development And Management

Establishment of the IOR-ARC Special Fund as a mechanism to implement activities and studies in Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran

First meeting of The Working Group of Heads of Mission in Pretoria, South Africa was held to progress IORA’s agenda between Ministerial Meetings

The First IOR-ARC Specialised Agency – The Fisheries Support Unit (FSU) – was created to enhance sustainable fisheries practices based in Muscat, Sultanate of Oman

Council of Ministers (COM) decided to meet annually instead of bi-annually

Constitution of The First High-Level Task Force (HLTF) examines IOR-ARC’s future directions held in Colombo, Sri Lanka

France joined as Dialogue Partner

A new instrument of acceptance was adopted to enable new members to join the association

Signature of Headquarters Agreement between IOR-ARC and the government of Mauritius in Port Louis. Legalised the diplomatic status of IOR-ARC secretariat and its personnel

United Kingdom and The People’s Republic of China joined as Dialogue Partners

Reflecting The Association’s growing ambitions, the PCM was renamed a Coordinating Secretariat

Meeting of legal experts held in Maputo, Mozambique finalised institutional documents

Bangladesh, Iran, Seychelles, Thailand and United Arab Emirates joined the association along with Dialogue Partners, Egypt and Japan

A Pilot Coordination Mechanism (PCM) was created to coordinate regional cooperation, based in Vacoas, Mauritius. H.E. Mr Kailash Ruhee (Mauritius) appointed as The First Director

First Ministerial Meeting and launch of IOR-ARC held in Grand Bay, Mauritius, attended by fourteen Member States. Foreign Ministers Meetings are held every two years

The Association consisted of 14 countries: Australia, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mozambique, Oman, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania and Yemen

Cornerstone charter created as a basis for cooperation

President H.E. Mr Nelson Mandela proposes Concept For Regional Cooperation

First International Meeting of experts held in Grand Bay, Mauritius to discuss The Indian Ocean Rim Initiative