The six priority areas for IOC-ARC cooperation are: maritime security and piracy; disaster risk reduction; trade and investment facilitation; fisheries management; academic and science and technology cooperation; and tourism and cultural exchanges.
29 October 2012: The 12th Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Co-operation (IOR-ARC) Council of Ministers Meeting convened in Gurgaon, India, on 2 November 2012. The key outcome of the meeting was a ministerial Communiqué titled “IOR-ARC At 15 – the Next Decade,” outlining six priority areas for cooperation, as the IOC-ARC marked its 15th birthday.
The six priority areas for IOC-ARC cooperation are: maritime security and piracy; disaster risk reduction; trade and investment facilitation; fisheries management; academic and science and technology cooperation; and tourism and cultural exchanges.
The Communiqué requests a planned IOC-ARC seminar on maritime security scheduled to convene in 2013 to consider concrete possibilities of cooperative action in the area of piracy, and to consider institutionalization as a regional forum for continued exchange of views, and monitoring of the situation.
The Communiqué also underscores the need for better preparedness to fight natural and manmade disasters in the maritime domain. It specifically notes that oil spill response training is a relevant area of cooperation for IOR-ARC, and the need to develop regional disaster management strategies and operational processes.
There are 19 Indian Ocean Rim Association members: Australia, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mozambique, Oman, Seychelles, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Yemen. [Government of South Africa Press Release] [IOC-ARC Website] [Meeting Communique]