Achievements

• The Charter establishing the IOR-ARC was adopted in March 1997.
   
• A Headquarters Agreement between IOR-ARC and the Government of Mauritius was also signed making provision for the Secretariat to enter into contractual obligations and enjoy the facilities, immunities and privileges that are normally extended to international organisations.
   
• The IOR-ARC has now a large constituency and it has grown into a big organisation with 20 Member States constituting between a quarter and a third of the world's population (close to two billion) and produce goods and services worth US$1 trillion (around 8 per cent the world production), creating a large market in the world economy, 6 Dialogue Partner States and 2 Observers.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF MEMBER STATES

• During the last ten years or so, a large number of the countries of the region have undertaken economic reforms and adopted the liberalisation process, and the scope of concessional assistance is showing a declining trend.
   
• The growth performance of the region and its sub-regions indicates that both exports and imports have increased at a faster rate with developing countries as compared to similar indices for the world as a whole. The IOR-ARC region has not only shared the major segment of the total trade of the IOR but grew at a rapid rate during the period 1988-94.
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  It has been noticed that a large number of countries have shown a higher growth in the region itself than to the rest of the world. In fact, the intra-regional trade accounts for one-fourth of its total trade and the extent of intra-regional trade is increasing over the last few years. In 1994, the amount of intra-regional trade in the whole of the IOR was $233 billion and is now in the region of $777 billion.

OUR FLAGSHIP PROJECTS

IOR-ARC has also been able to evolve its agenda to include pressing regional priorities in three flagship projects namely

• The Maritime Transport Council (MTC)
• The Regional Centre for Science & Transfer of Technology and the (RCSTT)
• Fisheries Support Unit (FSU)

These projects have tremendous potential for the Fisheries and Maritime related industries, as well as the promotion and transfer of Science & Technology in the region - all of which are considered effective tools for the upliftment of our Member States.

• The establishment of a Maritime Transport Council for IOR-ARC is now imminent and with the cooperation of Member States, it will soon be functional.
   
• The Regional Centre for the Transfer of Science & Technology, based inTehran, successfully hosted several seminars and workshops over the last 2 years. The Centre provides a wonderful opportunity for scientists in the region to interact and share knowledge with their peers from Member States. The more active participation of both our private sector and the academic community in the programmes of the Centre, will be a valuable contribution towards making this a leading Centre of Excellence within our region.
   
• The adoption of an MOU for the establishment of the Fisheries Support Unit in Sultanate of Oman has paved the way for the operationalization of the Unit and will shortly be followed by the signing of the Headquarters Agreement between the Unit and the Government of the Sultanate of Oman.