Least researched Indian Ocean becoming geopolitically, commercially more important: Foreign ministry

The Indian Ocean is the least researched among other oceans but it is becoming geopolitically and commercially more important day by day, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

Therefore, carrying out oceanographic and maritime research operations and activities in the Central Indian Ocean along with capacity building of its member states is imperative for Indian Ocean Commission (IOC).

The current status of the IOC Regional Committee for the Central Indian Ocean which is known as IOCINDIO has been upgraded to the status of an IOC Sub-Commission.

The decision was taken through a unanimously adopted resolution in the 32nd Assembly of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) held at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris on 29 June.

It would be known as IOCINDIO Sub-Commission, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Bangladesh, being the current Chair of the IOCINDIO, took the leadership role to change its status.

Expressing his satisfaction, the leader of the Bangladesh delegation to the 32nd IOC Assembly, Secretary of the Maritime Affairs Unit of the Foreign Ministry of Bangladesh, Rear Admiral (Retd) Md Khurshed Alam said that it is another great achievement of our maritime diplomacy as we took its leadership role and achieved its long-felt need.

He commended the support he received from the Ministry and the Missions in liaising with the parties concerned in this regard.

Established in 1982 by a resolution of the IOC, IOC Regional Committee for the Central Indian Ocean (IOCINDIO) was tasked to coordinate and facilitate the development and implementation of IOC activities which include, inter alia, oceanographic research and capacity building in the Central Indian Ocean.

While other regional bodies with the status of Sub-commission were meaningfully contributing to the implementation of IOC activities, IOCINDIO could not play its expected role.

The lack of a Secretariat with full-time IOC staff and no regular budget funding for conducting operations and activities for IOCINDIO was identified as its main constraint.

Therefore, its member states decided to change its status from a regional committee to a Sub-Commission.

After assuming the Chair of IOCINDIO Regional Committee, Bangladesh held seven fruitful meetings in the last two years to convince other regional Sub-Commissions and their member states which culminated in the change of status of the Regional Committee to a Sub-Commission.