22nd Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Council of Ministers Meeting
India took part in the 22nd meeting of the Council of Ministers of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), which took place in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Dr. Rajkumar Ranjan Singh, the Indian delegation`s minister of state for external affairs, served as its leader.
During his remarks, Mr. Singh reaffirmed the country’s strong commitment to strengthening IORA to promote peace, security and prosperity in the Indian Ocean Region as well as in the Indo-Pacific. He highlighted the country’s contributions as coordinator of the IORA priority areas of Disaster Risk Management and Science, Technology and Innovation towards capacity building and strengthening of IORA Secretariat.
On the challenges posed by climate change, the Minister highlighted the initiatives of LiFE – Lifestyle for Environment and International Year of Millet in 2023.
About The Other Development:
The COM adopted the ‘IORA’s Outlook on the Indo-Pacific’ (IOIP) which would guide enhancement of IORA’s engagement in the Indo-Pacific region. India led the process of development of the IOIP. Dhaka Communique was adopted as the Outcome Document of the 22nd COM Meeting.
About IORA:
The idea for IORA first surfaced during the late South African President Nelson Mandela’s 1995 visit to India. IORA is an intergovernmental organization dedicated to fostering regional cooperation and sustainable development in the Indian Ocean region through its 23 Member States bordering the Indian Ocean and 10 Dialogue Partners. It is a regional forum that is tripartite in nature and brings together representatives of Government, Business, and Academia, in order to foster cooperation and closer engagement among them.
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Australia`s Great Barrier Reef TO be listed as a World Heritage Site
The Great Barrier Reef in Australia has been suggested by a UN panel as a World Heritage property that is in risk. The largest coral reef ecosystem in the world, according to the UN, has been negatively damaged by climate change and ocean warming.
Key Points
- Frequent bleaching events are threatening the reef, including four over the last seven years and the first during a La Nina phenomenon.
- A report by UNESCO informed that the resilience of the Reef to recover from climate change impacts is substantially compromised.
- The report was expected to be released ahead of the UNESCO World Heritage committee meeting however it was postponed due to the Russia-Ukraine war.
- Australian Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek said that the government would push UNESCO to not list the reef as endangered because climate change was threatening all coral reefs across the world.
- The Australian government announced a billion-dollar package to protect the reef in January.
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India assumes the Presidency of the UNSC for December month 2022
For the month of December, India will preside over the UN Security Council. India has taken up the Council`s presidency twice in its two years as an elected member of the UN Security Council. In August 2021, India had previously assumed the UNSC Presidency.
Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations Ruchira Kamboj said, during India’s December Presidency of the UN Security Council, two high-level signature events will take place on 14th and 15th December on ‘Reformed Multilateralism and Counter-Terrorism and it will be chaired by External Affairs Minister. She said, a bust of Mahatma Gandhi will be inaugurated at the United Nations during India’s Presidency of the UN Security Council and it will be unveiled by External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar and UN Secretary-General Antonio Gutteres.
About the United Nations Security Council:
The United Nations Security Council is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, and approving any changes to the UN Charter.
The Security Council has primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security. It has 15 Members, and each Member has one vote. Under the Charter of the United Nations, all Member States are obligated to comply with Council decisions.
The Security Council takes the lead in determining the existence of a threat to the peace or act of aggression. It calls upon the parties to a dispute to settle it by peaceful means and recommends methods of adjustment or terms of settlement. In some cases, the Security Council can resort to imposing sanctions or even authorize the use of force to maintain or restore international peace and security.