Australia, Iran, Sri Lanka FMs among ministers to join blue economy confce Sept 5 in city

Bangladesh is set to host the third IORA Blue Economy Ministerial Conference on September 5 in Dhaka, reports bdnews24.com.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the conference. Foreign ministers of Australia, Iran and Sri Lanka are among a group of ministers to be arriving in Bangladesh to attend the conference.

The IORA (Indian Ocean Rim Association) is an inter-governmental organisation established on March 7, 1997 and consists of countries bordering the Indian Ocean.

The member states are Australia, Bangladesh, Comoros, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mozambique, Oman, Seychelles, Singapore, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.

Japan, Germany, China, the UK, the US, France, and Egypt are the dialogue partners.

Minister for foreign affairs of Comoros, Kenyan minister for agriculture and fisheries, Mauritius minister for ocean economy, Madagascar minister for agriculture and livestock, Maldives minister for marine resources, South African deputy minister for environment and forest, Somalian state minister for foreign affairs, and a deputy minister of Thailand have also confirmed their participation, according to a senior official of the foreign ministry.

Various areas of blue economy such as aquaculture, marine tourism, private sector's involvement in infrastructure, port network, financial inclusion, the sustainable exploration and exploitation of various living and non-living resources from the seas and tackling the menace of marine pollution and plastic debris will be discussed, among others.

The main objectives would be to promote smart, sustainable and inclusive growth and employment opportunities in the blue economy activities along the Indian Ocean belt.

On September 5, the conference will adopt the 'Dhaka Declaration' and other outcome documents aimed to illustrate the commitment of IORA member states to further strengthen and deepen cooperation on blue economy priority areas in the years ahead.

The conference will be preceded by a 'working session' to be held on September 4 to discuss the means and ways to strengthen blue economy implementation.