Terms of Reference for setting up Indian Ocean Rim Association Working Group on Maritime Security finalized
Posted on September 7th, 2018
Courtesy NewsIn.Asia
At the 17th Council of Ministers held in Durban, South Africa in 2017, it was decided that Sri Lanka will coordinate the implementation of the IORA Action Plan 2017-2021 on Maritime Safety and Security that includes, amongst others, the establishment of the Working Group on Maritime Safety and Security.
The finalization of the ToR at the workshop marks an important milestone in the work of the IORA Maritime Safety and Security priority area.
The Working Group provides a mechanism for engaging maritime officials and experts across member States to promote regional cooperation by facilitating practical coordination amongst stakeholders.
The ToR outlines the objectives of the Working Group on taking forward the policy priorities set in the Maritime Safety and Security Area which include among others establishing a common understanding between IORA members States of the collective Maritime Safety and Security risks, threats and opportunities in the Indian Ocean region; establishing an integrated policy approach on Maritime Safety and Security including through capability enhancement and capacity building; building a partnership within the framework of IORA for the strengthening of capacity and capability as well as institution building in the domain of Maritime Safety and Security; and enhancing Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) among IORA Member States.
The initial workshop was co-hosted by Sri Lanka and Australia, and was co-chaired by Sri Lanka, Australia, India, Indonesia, Madagascar and South Africa.
The Indian Ocean Rim Assoaication has 21 members. They are: Australia, People’s Republic of Bangladesh, Union of Comoros, Republic of India, Republic of Indonesia, Islamic Republic of Iran, Republic of Kenya, Republic of Madagascar, Malaysia, Republic of Mauritius, Republic of Mozambique, Sultanate of Oman, Republic of Seychelles, Republic of Singapore, Federal Republic of Somalia , Republic of South Africa, Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, United Republic of Tanzania, Kingdom of Thailand, United Arab Emirates and Republic of Yemen.
The Association has Dialogue partners which are: China, US, UK, France, German, Japan and Egypt.
(The featured image at the top is a map showing the Indian Ocean Rim Association states in dark green and the Dialogue Partners in light green; Source Wikipedia)