A significant combined event, comprising a Comparative Study and a Regional Maritime Dialogue on Law Enforcement, was held from 30 October to 3 November 2023 in Mirissa, Sri Lanka. This activity was co-organized by Sri Lanka, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), and the Max Planck Foundation.

The core objective was to conduct a baseline study, a gap analysis on the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) across IORA Member States. Experts worked to identify the level of consistency between national legislation and UNCLOS, pinpoint existing legislative gaps, and analyze conforming or non-conforming state practices. The accompanying dialogue focused on practical law enforcement challenges arising from these legal frameworks.

The key outcome was a comprehensive Workshop Report detailing the findings of the comparative study. This initiative provided an unprecedented evidence-based snapshot of the regional legal landscape. It directly informed IORA's MSS efforts by identifying precise areas where legislative harmonization and capacity building are most needed, thereby enabling more targeted and effective regional cooperation to uphold international maritime law.