The first Indian Ocean Dialogue (IOD) was organised in Kochi, India, on 5-7 September 2014 by the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India jointly with Observer Research Foundation. The “Kochi Consensus” was issued as the main outcome of the event.
The participants discussed six broad themes on: the geopolitical contours of the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), maritime security challenges, strengthening regional institutions, information sharing, cooperation in disaster relief and management and economic cooperation.
Australia (FDI), in collaboration with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, with support from the Indian Ocean Rim Association Secretariat and the Australian Department of Immigration and Border Protection) hosted the second Indian Ocean Dialogue in Perth, 5-7 September 2015. The “Perth Consensus” was issued as the main outcome of the event.
The two-day event focused on the following areas: Combating Transnational Crime, Maritime Security and Defence Cooperation, Regional Cooperation in Search and Rescue Operations, the Blue Economy as a Driver of Economic Growth, Countering Illegal Fishing and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief
The Third Indian Ocean region Dialogue (3rd IOD) was held in Padang, Indonesia on 13-14 April 2016. The Dialogue was hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia and The Habibie Center (THC), with the support of Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Secretariat. The “Padang Consensus” was issued as the main outcome of the event.
The participants of the Dialogue discussed five major themes: strengthening rules-based regionalism in the Indian Ocean region; piracy and armed robbery, illicit trafficking and maritime terrorism; regional cooperation in combating IUU fishing; the role of naval powers in enhancing security in the Indian Ocean region; and energy security in the Indian Ocean region.
The Fourth Indian Ocean Dialogue (IOD) was held in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE) on 9-10 October 2017. The Dialogue was hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MOFAIC) of the UAE and the Emirates Centre for Strategic Studies and Research (ECSSR), with the support of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA).
Four major themes were discussed at the Fourth IOD namely: (i) Maritime Safety and Security: Enhancing Cooperative Mechanisms in the IOR, (ii) Renewable Energy and Innovation: New Technologies for Sustainable Energy Security, (iii) Climate Change: Adaptation and Resilience of Coastal Communities in the IOR, and (iv) Cyber Security in the IOR: Partnership for Sustainable Development. The “Abu Dhabi Consensus” was issued as the main outcome of the event.
The South African Department of Science and Technology (DST) and the South African Chapter of the Indian Ocean Rim Association Group (SA-IORA) hosted the Fifth IOD, held on 1–2 August 2018. Recognising the importance of the IOD as a vibrant platform to discuss regional issues, delegates from Member States and Dialogue Partners of IORA actively engaged in the discussions and put forward various proposals for a sustainable response to challenges within the Indian Ocean Region.
Special focus was drawn on the role of academia in supporting IORA’s goals, peace and development and economic development in the Indian Ocean Rim. Participants also discussed the IOD as an official IORA mechanism to enhance human capacity building, strengthen regional collaboration and partnerships between IORA Member States and Dialogue Partners.
The 6th Indian Ocean Dialogue (IOD) was held in New Delhi, India on 13 December 2019. The Dialogue was hosted by the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA), New Delhi and the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, with the support of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Secretariat.
The Dialogue was held on the theme of ‘Indo-Pacific: Reimagining the Indian Ocean through an Extended Geography’. The main sub themes were: ‘Indo- Pacific: Seamless and Collective’; ‘Maritime Connectivity and Infrastructure’, and ‘Delivering Public Goods at Sea’. The “Delhi Consensus” was issued as the main outcome of the event.
The 7th Indian Ocean Dialogue was held by the United Arab Emirates from 2 – 3 February 2021.
The Dialogue focused on the following themes: Enhancing Regional Economic and Trade Cooperation; Exploring Opportunities for Joint Maritime Security; Paths to Inclusive Public Health and Sustainable Development and Future Trends Shaping Cooperation in the Indian Ocean.
India hosted the 8th Edition of the Indian Ocean Dialogue under the theme ‘Post Pandemic Indian Ocean: Leveraging Digital Technologies for Health, Education, Development and Trade in IORA Member States’ virtually on 15 December 2021 with the assistance of the Indian Council for World Affairs and the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Secretariat.
The 8th IOD deliberated the measures taken by IORA Member States to deal with challenges of COVID-19 pandemic and highlighted the various digital technologies and platforms to overcome COVID-19 disruptions in the Health, Education, Development and Trade sectors, as also the opportunities that were accrued by using these technologies. The Dialogue comprised four Plenary Sessions with focus on the Health, Education, Development and Trade sectors.
The 9th IORA Indian Ocean Dialogue (IOD) was held in Zanzibar, Tanzania, on 22-23 May 2023. This 9th IOD comprised of 5 sessions that focus on the following topics: (i) Making the Case for Blue Economy Dialogue; (ii) Ocean Governance and Blue Economy; (iii) Marine Biotechnology, Research and Development; (iv) Advancing the Blue Economy Agenda in IORA; and (v) Financing Blue Economy in IORA.
The 9th IOD adopted the "Zanzibar Consensus", which contains a set of policy recommendations to advance blue economy sector in the Indian Ocean region. The document was built from the key takeaways of each session and inputs from the IORA Member States.