Indian Ocean Commission

The main objective of the IOC is to encourage and strengthen cooperation within the Indian Ocean region on a number of levels, including: diplomatic cooperation; economic and commercial cooperation; cooperation in the field of agriculture, maritime fishing, and the conservation of resources and ecosystems; and cooperation in cultural, scientific, technical, educational and judicial fields.
The Commission has always been very active in the context of the MSI process. In 2003, the IOC played an important role in the “AIMS Regional Meeting for the Review of the Barbados Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States (BPOA)”, which was held in Praia, Cape Verde.
With regard to the five-year review of the MSI, the IOC will support the preparation of the AIMS regional synthesis, in addition to participating in the regional and inter-regional meetings. In addition, through funding received from the EU, the IOC will set-up a Monitoring and Evaluation System for the implementation of the Mauritius Strategy. The M&E system could become a major tool for promoting the SIDS issues further, and could be developed in such a way that it can be used by SIDS in all regions.