The Third Meeting of the IORA Working Group on Science, Technology and Innovation (WGSTI) was held virtually on 22 March 2024. The meeting aimed to review progress in implementing the WGSTI Work Plan, strengthen coordination among Member States and Dialogue Partners, and agree on concrete next steps to advance regional cooperation in science, technology and innovation (STI) within the Indian Ocean region.
The meeting was chaired by the Republic of India, and brought together representatives from IORA Member States, Dialogue Partners, the IORA Secretariat, and invited experts. The meeting opened with welcoming remarks by India, followed by opening remarks by the IORA Secretariat.
A keynote address was delivered by the Director of the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India, and Vice Chair of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC-UNESCO). In his keynote on the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030), he underscored the ocean’s vital role in climate regulation, food security, livelihoods, and biodiversity, while highlighting growing pressures from climate change, marine pollution, overexploitation, and ecosystem degradation.
He outlined the key objectives of the UN Ocean Decade, including the generation and sharing of ocean knowledge to support evidence-based decision-making, advancement of ocean technologies and infrastructure, and strengthened capacity development and education. Emphasis was also placed on inclusivity and collaboration across governments, academia, industry, local communities, and civil society. The presentation highlighted the Decade’s implementation framework, including endorsed global programmes and projects, and drew attention to the role of the Indian Ocean Region Decade Collaborative Centre (IOR DCC), hosted by INCOIS, in facilitating regional cooperation, capacity building, and knowledge exchange. The complementary mandates of the IOR DCC and IORA were noted, particularly in aligning ocean science initiatives with broader regional development priorities.
