Familiarization Visit for Media Personnel and Journalists from IORA Member States

The Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) is celebrating its 20^th Anniversary this year. In these days of continuously evolving economic and social milieus, media coverage and social listening have become strategic techniques to reach a wider audience. Media influence and advocacy have become the vision of many organizations, and IORA is focused on exploring possibilities to develop a core media strategy with Member States, to further regional and worldwide advocacy through the creation of a vibrant communication bridge among the media personnel and journalists of its Member States. 

The forthcoming “Familiarization Visit for Media Personnel and Journalists from IORA Member States” is a pioneering initiative proposed by India at the IORA Council of Ministers meeting held in October 2016 at Bali, Indonesia.

The proposed visit is envisaged to bring together delegates (one from each IORA Member State) sharing media experiences from various backgrounds, thus creating a platform to unite media personnel and journalists within the Indian Ocean region and thereby promoting the visibility of the IORA and its efforts towards sustainable growth and balanced development of the region. 

The familiarization Visit aims to:

• Provide a platform for IORA Member State media personnel to create a network for furthering the visibility of the Association;
  
  
• Encourage cooperation and dialogue between media personnel and journalists;
  
  
• Strengthen IORA linkages with media experts;
  
  
• Provide capacity building to media personnel and journalists on regional cooperation; and
  
  
• Enhance knowledge on the Indian Public Sector Undertakings, Information Technology Sector and other areas of interest among the IORA Member States.

The expected outcomes of the visit include the following:

• Development of a “Core Media Strategy” for the IORA.
• Establishment of an “IORA Media e-Group”