About:
- IORA is an inter-governmental organisation which was established in 1997.
- IORA was set up with the objective of strengthening regional cooperation and sustainable development within the Indian Ocean Region with 21 Member States and 7 Dialogue Partners.
- Members: India, Australia, Iran IR, Indonesia Thailand, Malaysia, South Africa, Mozambique, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Bangladesh, Singapore, Mauritius, Madagascar, UAE, Yemen, Seychelles, Somalia, Comoros and Oman.
- IORA’s apex body is the Council of Foreign Ministers (COM) which meets annually.
- IORA has identified six priority areas, namely: (1) maritime security, (2) trade and investment facilitation, (3) fisheries management, (4) disaster risk reduction, (5) academic and scientific cooperation and (6) tourism promotion and cultural exchanges.
- IORA secretariat is based in Mauritius and is overseen by a secretary-general who is appointed for a three-year period.
IORA Renewable Energy Ministerial Meeting:
- India is hosting 2nd IORA Renewable Energy Ministerial meet from 2nd to 4th October, 2018. It is being organized by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. Ministers and delegates from all 21 member-countries are expected to participate.
- The last Renewable Energy Ministerial Meeting was held in 2014 in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
