The key objective of the Indian Ocean Research Group (IORG) is
to initiate a policy-oriented dialogue, in the true spirit of
partnership, among academics, governments, industries, NGOs and
communities, towards realizing a shared, peaceful, stable and
prosperous future for the Indian Ocean region.
The Indian Ocean possesses considerable and often underrated
geopolitical significance if only because of its operation as a
highway. Given its relative location and the fact that it provides
a relatively short and economic link between the Pacific and the
Atlantic Oceans, it is perhaps not surprising that, not only does
the Ocean account for the transportation of the highest tonnage of
commodities in the world, but that more than three-quarters of this
is extra-regional trade. The uninhibited maintenance of Ocean
routes and associated choke points is especially significant for
the movement of commodities, especially oil, to Northeast Asia,
Western Europe and North America.
The Indian Ocean is known to contain natural resources, the
significance of which has yet to be fully determined. The Indian
Ocean Marine Affairs Cooperation (IOMAC) grouping, for example, has
already been involved for several years in issues associated with
the management of the Indian Ocean tuna fishery. The exploitation
of these resources, among others, in the context of the
delimitation of exclusive economic zones requires careful
monitoring and inter-state collaboration.
Maintaining the integrity of the regional environment is one of
the most important common interests of Indian Ocean states.
Monitoring and managing the environmental impacts of human activity
on the Ocean is essential to the maintenance of the living
resources of the Ocean, for example. Environmental security issues
are extremely diverse, ranging from, for example, an industrial
partner's need to secure access to resources for investment
purposes, to a specific community's need to secure access to
healthy and sustainable sources of food, water and shelter.
Fostering inter-state cooperation in order to maximize positive
management to minimize environmental insecurity and climate change
related risks is an important policy goal.
For the maintenance of the peace and stability of the Indian
Ocean Region, it is of the utmost importance that regional,
coastal, island, and landlocked states become aware of the
geopolitical orientations of one another and of Indian Ocean
neighbours. The description, collation and analysis of such
orientations will assist greatly in the maximization of regional
transparency regarding regional state goals and intentions.
Major Indian Ocean issues such as regional geopolitics, resource
exploitation, sharing and conservation, maritime jurisdiction,
coastal management, ocean laws, maritime security,
underdevelopment, the problems of small island states, human and
environmental security, climate change, regional trade and
cooperation, interstate relations and non-traditional security
threats thus constitute the substantive but not necessarily
exclusive domain of IORG research.
Overall, IORG Inc seeks:
- To encourage researchon geopolitical, economic,
socio-cultural, environmental, scientific and technological issues
relevant to the Indian Ocean Region
- To promote dialogueon the peaceful uses and ecologically
sustainable development of maritime resources based on the
principle of Common Heritage
- To foster interstate cooperationin the sustainable management
of ocean resources and the peaceful resolution of maritime
disputes
- To ensure a holistic discourseon the human and environmental
security of the Region among its states, peoples and
communities
- To contribute to an understandingof the causes as well as the
effects of a wide range of non-traditional Regional security
threats
- To facilitate information flow and discussionon international
maritime regimes and the rights of states and local communities
representing the Indian Ocean Region
- To initiate informed policy debateamong governments, NGOs,
business groups, academics and other stakeholders in the Indian
Ocean Region on issues of common concern