Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), Focus Areas and Significance

Context: India is preparing to step up to chair the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) from November 2025.

About Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA)

• Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) was established in 1997 to promote regional cooperation among Indian Ocean countries.
• Comprises 23 member states and 11 dialogue partners (including the U.S., China, and the EU).
  • India is currently vice chair of IORA.

Focus areas include

• Maritime safety and security
• Trade and investment facilitation
• Disaster risk management
• Fisheries management
• Academic and cultural exchanges
• Blue economy development

Significance of the Indian Ocean

• Strategic Trade Route: Handles 75% of global trade and 50% of daily oil consumption.
  • Produces $1 trillion in goods and services annually.
  • Facilitates $800 billion in intra-IORA trade (2023).
• Resource and Economic Importance: Rich in marine biodiversity and fisheries resources.
  • Crucial for energy security and marine-based industries (shipping, oil and gas, tourism).
  • Home to key chokepoints like the Strait of Hormuz, Malacca Strait, and Bab el-Mandeb.
• Geopolitical Importance: Forms the core of the Indo-Pacific strategy.
  • Key region for major powers like China, the U.S., Japan, and India.

Challenges Facing the Indian Ocean

• Security Issues: Piracy, terrorism, and trafficking (human, drugs, arms).
  • The growing influence of external powers like China and the U.S.
  • Maritime boundary disputes.
• Environmental and Climate Challenges: Rising sea levels and coastal erosion.
  • Marine pollution and degradation of coral reefs.
  • Increasing frequency of cyclones and tsunamis.
• Economic and Development Issues: Poor infrastructure in developing coastal states.
  • Lack of resources for sustainable fisheries and marine governance.
  • Dependency on external funding for regional projects.
• Institutional Weakness: IORA’s budget is dependent on member states (mainly developing economies).
  • Lack of coordination among member states and limited institutional capacity.
  • Small Secretariat based in Mauritius with limited staff.

What India Needs to Do

• Expand IORA’s Funding: Encourage private sector involvement (shipping companies, oil and gas, marine tourism).
  • Establish a dedicated IORA fund for targeted maritime projects.
• Leverage Technology: Introduce digitized record-keeping for better data management and policy analysis.
  • Use data-driven insights to improve governance and decision-making.
• Enhance Regional Collaboration: Align IORA’s goals with India’s SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region)
  • Encourage research collaboration with leading IORA members like Australia and France.
  • Mainstream traditional coastal knowledge from nations like Sri Lanka, Mauritius, and Seychelles.
• Develop Maritime-Focused Education: Create maritime-ready courses in collaboration with industrial leaders and academic institutions.
  • Introduce marine accounting and interdisciplinary blue economy programs.
• Strengthen Institutional Capacity: Increase staffing and operational capacity of the IORA Secretariat.
  • Establish a dedicated Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO)-style body within IORA to monitor financial and strategic decisions.
• Promote Security Cooperation: Enhance joint maritime exercises and information-sharing among IORA member states.
  • Support capacity building for smaller coastal nations to strengthen maritime security.

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