Indian Ocean Rim Association

Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) A Seminar on Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing

A Seminar on Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing, under the aegis of Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), was conducted by the Indian Navy at Goa on 02 November 2022.

As the third largest ocean, the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) is a lifeline for nearly 35% of global population. Fish and Fisheries comprise important components of food security chain.

These also contribute significantly to national socio-economic development. Sustainable fishing is seriously compromised by IUU fishing activities and are therefore a major cause of concern for the littorals of IOR.

This was accordingly identified as an area of greater collaboration by the IORA Working Group on Maritime Safety and Security (WGMSS), established in September 2018.

The WGMSS is presently chaired by Sri Lanka, and is advancing the IORA Action Plan 2017-21, adopted by IORA Member States.

The Seminar was conducted by the Indian Navy on behalf of the Ministry of Defence, under the guidance of the Ministry of External Affairs and duly supported by the Department of Fisheries, functioning under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying and other agencies of the Govt of India.

Indian Ocean Rim Association:

It is an inter-governmental organisation aimed at strengthening regional cooperation and sustainable development within the Indian Ocean region through its 22 Member States bordering the Indian Ocean and 9 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.

The members include Australia, Bangladesh, Comoros, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mozambique, Oman, Seychelles, Singapore, Somalia, South-Africa, SriLanka, Tanzania, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, Maldives and Yemen.

Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) has identified six priority areas, namely: Maritime security, Trade and investment facilitation, Fisheries management, Disaster risk reduction, Academic and scientific cooperation and Tourism promotion and cultural exchanges.