High-Level Strategic Dialogue on IORA's 25 Years - Reflection, Review & Renewal

I attended the High-Level Strategic Dialogue on IORA’s 25 Years, co-hosted by the South African Ambassador, His Excellency Dr Anil Sooklal, and the Secretary-General of IORA, Ambassador Salman Al Farisi, held in Mauritius from 20 to 22 June 2023 at the Intercontinental Resort, Balaclava.

The overall objectives of this dialogue was to reflect and review the past 25-years of IORA, acknowledge successes, address challenges and assess implementation of outcomes. The focus of the dialogue was forward looking, with Senior Officials engaging in interactive and frank strategic discussions to determine the future direction of the Association.  The Dialogue led to the development of a draft document on ‘IORA Vision 2030 and beyond’ which will be considered at the Council of Ministers 2023 Meeting.

Participants comprised Senior Officials of the IORA Member States, Dialogue Partners, Members of the Indian Ocean Rim Business Forum (IORBF) and Indian Ocean Rim Academic Group (IORAG), Specialised Agencies and IORA Observers.

On 21 June, I chaired a meeting with Delegates for an academic discussion in line with the objectives of the High-Level Strategic Dialogue. The objective of this brainstorming meeting was to come up with proposed actionable recommendations on the way forward to enhance collaborations among academicians in the IOR region.