As India assumes the chair of the Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC) for the first time in Bengaluru in a few days from now, it will be hoping to infuse some life into a grouping that has largely remained dormant ever since it was founded in 1997. The council of ministers (COM) which is the top decision-making body of IOR-ARC and comprises the foreign ministers of the member-countries is scheduled to meet during its annual conference beginning on November 9.
Instead of being able to show any significant outcomes, all that the IOR-ARC has to show for its over decade-long existence are around 75 studies. The studies were commissioned as part of the attempts to see how countries that are part of IOR-ARC can share in capacity building in areas as diverse as fisheries, culture and trade. Unfortunately, not a single one of these nearly four score studies resulted in a concrete proposal, said sources. The IOR-ARC which covers a wide swathe of geographical locations has been virtually dormant in the last decade or so, said sources. One of the reasons being the lack of interest on the part of countries that are part of this 18-member grouping.
The other members of the IOR-ARC are Tanzania, Madagascar, Mozambique, UAE, Yemen, Iran, Mauritius, Oman, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. One of the primary aims of the IOR-ARC when it was founded was to promote economic cooperation.