Emerging opportunities, innovative partnerships, new technologies and empowering women were the topics at the Indian Ocean Rim Association’s (IORA’s) Modernising Trade in the Indian Ocean Rim Conference on 17-18 June 2019 at the Capital Pearls Hotel in Durban, South Africa. 

Hosted by South Africa’s Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), the conference welcomed over 200 participants from 19 IORA Member States and six Dialogue Partners. Participants attended from chambers of commerce and industry, trade ministries, investment agencies, civil society, and intergovernmental organisations.

On 17 June 2019 a full day plenary conference debated emerging opportunities and challenges to modernise trade and investment in the Indian Ocean Rim region. 18 June 2019 saw official meetings of three IORA bodies - the Working Group on Trade and Investment (WGTI), the Indian Ocean Rim Business Forum (IORBF), and the Working Group on Women’s Economic Empowerment (WGWEE). 

Ideas, challenges and trends were captured during the conference and shared with participants. Conference outcomes have since informed new and ongoing work plans for the WGTI, IORBF and WGWEE, which will take forward Conference outcomes within IORA as the association injects new energy into facilitating trade and investment facilitation in the Indian Ocean Rim region.