The Indian Ocean Rim-Association for Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC) Council of Ministers Meeting will be held in Perth, Australia from October 30-November 1.
The meeting will review the progress made by IOR-ARC since the 2012 meeting in Gurgaon, India, and will consider future directions and initiatives to advance the interests of IOR-ARC and its members. In Perth, Australia will assume the Chair of IOR-ARC, following on from India which has been the Chair since 2011.
IOR-ARC, initially known as the Indian Ocean Rim Initiative, is an international organisation that comprises of 20 member states namely Australia, Bangladesh, Comoros, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mozambique, Oman, Seychelles, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, UAE and Yemen. Formally launched at the first Ministerial Meeting in Mauritius in March 1997, the organisation aims to facilitate trade, investment, scientific and technological exchanges, and development of infrastructure and human resources among the member countries.