(Sample Material) Study Kit on Current Affairs for UPSC Mains Examination
India and World Organizations: Indian Ocean Rim Association For Regional Cooperation (IORARC)
Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation (IORARC), a regional cooperation initiative of the Indian Ocean Rim countries, was established in Mauritius in March 1997 with the aim of promoting economic and technical cooperation, including expansion of trade and investment. The IORARC Secretariat is located at Port Louis, Mauritius. India is one of the founder members of IORARC. The Indian Ocean Rim, a heterogeneous area with a wide diversity of languages, culture and religions, is linked to India’s destiny by name. The countries are diverse in size, areas and economic strength. Many of the IOR countries are becoming globally competitive and are developing new capacities which can be jointly harnessed through regional cooperation efforts. It has abundant human resources and technological capabilities.
The IORARC was formally launched at the first Ministerial Meeting in Mauritius on 6-7 March 1997. Presently it has 20 members – Australia, Bangladesh, Comoros, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kenya, Malaysia, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Oman, Seychelles, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, UAE and Yemen. There are six Dialogue Partners namely China, Egypt, France, Japan, UK and USA. There are two Observers also namely, Indian Ocean Research Group (IORG) and Indian Ocean Tourism Organisation (IOTO), Oman.