Indian Council of World Affairs

Thank you Chair 

A Very Good Morning to all. 

At the outset, I thank the IORA Secretariat and the Indian Ocean Rim Academic Group (IORAG) Chair –South Africa for hosting the 28^th IORAG Meeting in physical format and for the warm hospitality extended. 

It has been a privilege for us at ICWA to have been engaged with IORA, as the knowledge partner of Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, for two Indian Ocean Dialogues in 2019 and 2021, and as the India Chair of Indian Ocean Region Academic Group (IORAG) for 2019-2021. Yesterday we had a very productive and engaging discussion on IORA’s Outlook on Indo-Pacific and developing IORAG as a think tank of IORA. 

In this Session today on the theme ‘IORAG and IORA Indo-Pacific Outlook’,I would like to share our perspective  on IORA and IORA’s  Indo -Pacific Outlook and how IORAG can support in implementing IORA’s Outlook on Indo Pacific.

IORA

Indian Ocean is an essential part of the Indo-Pacific region of which IORA is a prominent regional organization with 2.5 billion people residing in its Member States. The region covered by IORA is the fulcrum of the Indo- Pacific region. It is in the interest of IORA to ensure peace, prosperity, economic cooperation, maritime safety, security, and stability for all peoples in the Indo-Pacific region. 

IORA has come a long way since its inception. India, as a founding member, has been instrumental in the revitalization of IORA under its Chairship from 2011-2013 and identified six priority areas to structure the activities of IORA. Further, two cross-cutting areas were added in 2013. India is the lead country on two of the priority areas of IORA namely, Disaster Risk Management (DRM) and Academic, Science and Technology and is working to develop IORA structures in these areas. We look forward to continuing our joint work in various clusters, particularly as members of Blue Economy cluster group.India is the largest contributor to IORA Special Fund and has been offering capacity building training courses to IORA countries. 

Besides, India has been actively participating in strengthening of IORA structures and mechanisms by developing policy papers for IORA such as Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Guidelines for IORA, IORA Outlook on Indo-Pacific, Regulations for strategic management of engagement with Dialogue Partners and also by assisting the IORA Secretariat. 

Keeping in view of our wider Indo-Pacific vision, India encourages and supports closer working relationship between IORA and other regional structures in the Indo-Pacific, underpinned by the close working in the areas of convergences. 

The IORA Vision document on the Indo-Pacific was finally adopted at the last COM Meeting in November 2022. In the recently held High Level Strategic Dialogue (HLSD) on 20-22 June 2023 in Mauritius, a session focused on the implementation of IORA’s Outlook on Indo- Pacific (IOIP). 

IORA Outlook on the Indo-Pacific will help guide IORA’s engagement in the Indo-Pacific Region and give IORA a significant role in the ongoing global discourse on the Indo-Pacific. 

On the Indo –Pacific, some of the IORA Member States have issued position papers or public documents highlighting their views on the Indo-Pacific region. This includes Australia’s 2017 Foreign Policy White Paper; France’s Indo-Pacific strategy 2018; and India’s ‘Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative’ (IPOI) in 2019. Regional associations/organizations such as ASEAN have also issued similar documents i.e. ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP).The MoU signed between IORA and ASEAN is a welcome development. There is a great deal of convergence between AOIP and IORA IOIP priority areas. 

In this context, therefore the assessment of the academia will be valuable in order to develop a roadmap for the implementation of the Outlook document and chalking out the concrete action plan for the Member States and Dialogue Partners. The role of IORAG, as an institutional mechanism created under IORA, that acknowledges the importance and value of the academia in achieving the objectives of IORA, therefore becomes significant. 

IORAG and High level Strategic Dialogue on IORA’s 25 Years

This IORAG meeting therefore is important and timely to reflect upon the outcomes of the High Level Strategic Dialogue (HLSD) held on 20-21 June this year. The HLSD discussed the unrealized potential of IORA in 25 years and its relevance in the current geopolitics. The Member-States, during HLSD, saw IOIP as an opportunity which should not be missed by the African continent. The ideas shared by South Africa for an African Outlook on the Indo- Pacific are valuable and we look forward to the conclusion of MoU between IORA and AU. 

On the question of how IORAG may support in the implementation of IORA’s Indo- Pacific outlook, I have three submissions to make here for further discussion:

• On the Outlook on Indo-Pacific in the context of Africa, which was discussed yesterday, we observe that there is hardly any academic debate and discussion on the subject in the IORA African Member States. If an African outlook on Indo- Pacific needs to be developed, these issues need to be debated and discussed at the academic level. There were suggestions made yesterday to come out with policy briefs on this issue, which is a good idea. But I would suggest having an Academic dialogue on this subject, bringing together academics from various parts of Africa, not limited to only IORA African Member States, but also other countries to brainstorm on this subject. An African country can take a lead on this, may be South Africa and Kenya. 

• On how to make IORAG more effective in terms of providing policymakers with recommendations on areas of cooperation relating to the priority areas, there is so much of research being undertaken by various research institutions on specific priority areas of IORA in individual Member States, but we don’t come to know enough about those. Can IORA website have an IORAG section, which can be used for uploading policy research papers pertaining to certain priority areas for greater dissemination and outreach to relevant stakeholders? These research/policy papers could be endorsed by the national focal points and sent to IORA secretariat for uploading on the website. 

• In the IORA Indo-Pacific Outlook Document, there is a reference to thinking about new areas of cooperation other than existing priority areas. As you know, the six priority areas of IORA were identified during India’s Chairship (2011-2013), and it is time that other important areas of cooperation may be identified. One of the important areas will be Connectivity. This area of cooperation figures in the MoU document between ASEAN and IORA. Connectivity as a priority area could focus on physical connectivity through land, air and sea and digital connectivity in facilitating e-Health and e-educational services. Academics can come out with policy papers on this theme for IORA to consider.

Thank you

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