CSO of IORA successfully concludes in Durban, South Africa

• Sri Lanka to host First Working Group on Maritime Safety and Security in August

The ninth Bi-Annual Committee of Senior Officials (CSO) of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) was held in Durban, South Africa from 19-20 June. 

The ninth session of the CSO chaired by Department of International Relations and Cooperation, South Africa Deputy Director General Ambassador Anil Sooklal was the last CSO meeting hosted by the Government of South Africa, prior to handing over the Chairmanship to the UAE. 

Speaking at the inaugural session, Sri Lanka’s head of delegation Ministry of Foreign Affairs Economic Affairs Director Sesath Thambugala appreciated the stewardship of South Africa since 2017 as the Chair of IORA and expressed keen interest to work with the UAE during its upcoming chairmanship with a view to further deepening the focus on IORA as a growth pole in the world.

The Sri Lanka delegation informed the meeting that as the lead coordinator of the Maritime Safety and Security pillar, Sri Lanka will be hosting the First Working Group on Maritime Safety and Security (WGMSS) on 8-9 August in Colombo, which will be partly funded by IORA Special Fund and UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). 

The delegation further briefed the CSO that Sri Lanka successfully held the Track 1.5 Conference ‘Indian Ocean: Defining Our Future’ in October 2018 in Colombo. Building on the success of the first conference, Sri Lanka is ready to host Track 1 Conference ‘Indian Ocean: Defining Our Future’ during the latter half of 2019 for which all IORA members would be invited.  Among other matters, the CSO took stock of the progress of the implementation of the IORA Action Plan (2017-2021), emphasising on the need to engage the Dialog Partners, regional organisations and other specialised agencies in a more constructive manner. The report of the CSO meeting will be submitted to the next IORA Council of Ministers, which is scheduled to be held in the UAE. The Sri Lanka delegation to the CSO comprised of Sesath Thambugala, Sri Lanka High Commission in Pretoria Minister Counsellor Priyangani Hewarathna and Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ocean Affairs, Environment and Climate Change Assistant Director Diana Perera.