Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC)

IOR-ARC was established in 1997 to promote cooperation in the Indian Ocean region. It seeks to expand mutually beneficial cooperation through a consensus-based, evolutionary and non-intrusive approach. IOR-ARC is the only regional forum linking most countries on the Indian Ocean rim through an annual Foreign Ministers' meeting.

Members

The Association comprises 19 member states:

• Australia
• Bangladesh
• India
• Indonesia
• Iran
• Kenya
• Madagascar
• Malaysia
• Mauritius
• Mozambique
• Oman
• Seychelles
• Singapore
• South Africa
• Sri Lanka
• Tanzania
• Thailand
• United Arab Emirates
• Yemen

Dialogue partners

The Association also has 5 dialogue partners:

• China
• Egypt
• France
• Japan
• United Kingdom

Observers

The Indian Ocean Tourism Organisation and the Indian Ocean Research Group are observers.

Development of IOR-ARC

IOR-ARC is characterised by consensus decision making and minimal institutionalisation. At the IOR-ARC Ministerial Meeting in August 2010, a new Charter was endorsed.

The 2010 IOR-ARC Charter states that the organisation's primary objective is to promote the sustained growth and balanced development of the region and of member states, and to create common ground for regional economic cooperation.

The IOR-ARC Charter lists areas of cooperation including trade facilitation and liberalisation, promotion of foreign investment, scientific and technological exchanges, tourism, movement of natural persons and service providers on a non-discriminatory basis; and the development of infrastructure and human resources inter-alia poverty alleviation, promotion of maritime transport and related matters, cooperation in the fields of fisheries trade, research and management, aquaculture, education and training, energy, IT, health, protection of the environment, agriculture, and disaster management.

IOR-ARC meetings

The Council of Ministers (COM) is IOR-ARC's peak decision-making body. The COM is usually attended by Foreign Ministers. The Academic Group (IORAG), Business Forum (IORBF), Working Group on Trade and Investment (WGTI) are the three working-level bodies. The Committee of Senior Officials (CSO) considers proposals from these bodies and makes recommendations to the COM for final approval.

All the IOR-ARC bodies meet together once a year, just before the annual COM. In 2010, it was decided that the CSO would meet twice yearly and the first inter-sessional senior officials meeting was held in Canberra in March 2011.

India is the IOR-ARC Chair from November 2011 until the 2013 COM. Past IOR-ARC Chairs are Mauritius (1997-1998); Mozambique (1999-2000); Oman (2001-2002); Sri Lanka (2003-2005); Iran (2006-2008); and Yemen (2009-2011).

Australia's Involvement in IOR-ARC

Australia was a founding member of IOR-ARC. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has responsibility for IOR-ARC policy, in consultation with other relevant agencies.

At the 2010 COM in Sana'a, Yemen, Australia was appointed as Vice Chair of IOR-ARC for a two year period starting from the next COM in November 2011, in Bengaluru, India. Australia will assume the Chair after India for a two-year period from 2013 to 2015.

Contact

Email: iorarc@dfat.gov.au