Indian Ocean Commission


The Indian Ocean Commission is an intergovernmental organisation that links five African Indian Ocean nations — i.e. Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, Réunion, and Seychelles. There are also eight observers as of August 2025 — i.e. China, the European Union, La Francophonie, the Order of Malta, India, Japan, the United Nations and South Korea.
The IOC was created in 1982 in Port-Louis, Mauritius, and institutionalised in 1984 by the Victoria Agreement. The organisation coordinates cooperative efforts amongst its member and observer nations which primarily focus on environmental management and preservation. Some of the more specific areas of focus in its past projects include maritime concerns and fisheries, the needs of growing island states, adapting to climate change outcomes, food security and public health.

History

The IOC was created in 1982 in Port Louis, by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Mauritius, Madagascar and Seychelles.
In 1984, the General Cooperation Agreement signed in Victoria institutionalised the organization.
In 1986 — Comoros and Réunion, joined the organisation.
In 1989, the IOC was provided with a General Secretariat. The headquarters of the IOC is located in Mauritius.

Development

Since the early 1990s, the IOC has been implementing cooperation projects in environmental management and preservation with the support of the European Union and French cooperation. Over the course of these projects, the IOC has acquired recognised expertise in the management of marine and coastal environments, fisheries and the preservation of biodiversity.
At the beginning of the 2000s, the IOC constantly advocated the specific needs of developing islands, particularly in conferences organised by the United Nations.
In September 2005, the IOC requested observer status at the UN General Assembly.
In 2016, the China became the first observer member of the organisation. It is later followed in 2017 by La Francophonie, the Order of Malta, and the European Union.
In 2018, the IOC assumes the chairmanship of the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia for a period of two years. In 2020, Kenya takes over the chairmanship. However, the IOC continues to serve as the secretariat of the CGPCS.
In 2019, at a ministerial retreat in Moroni, the Moroni Declaration on the Future of the IOC is adopted. This text deals with the modernisation of the IOC.
During the 34th Council of Ministers of 6 March 2020 in Seychelles, the founding text of the IOC — namely the Victoria Agreement, is revised.
In 2020 — India, Japan, and the United Nations became observer members.
The IOC's project portfolio has expanded considerably i.e. political stability, public health, gender, mobility, entrepreneurship, infrastructure, regional connectivity, trade negotiations, maritime security, food security and agricultural development, fisheries and fisheries surveillance, climate change mitigation, sustainable coastal zone management, waste management, use of earth observation technologies for environmental monitoring, renewable energy, culture, etc.
The IOC has a dozen technical and financial partners, among which the European Union and the French Development Agency.
In May 2023, Mauritius assumed the presidency of the Council of Ministers.
In April 2025, French President Emmanuel Macron called for the integration of Mayotte as a member of the IOC, advocating for a "pragmatic approach" with the Comoros.
On 17 April 2025, South Korea became the eighth observer member of the organisation.

Members

Member states

Observers

Administration

Bodies

The Council of Ministers provides the strategic and political direction of the IOC. It is the supreme decision-making body of the organisation. The chairmanship of the IOC Council of Ministers is annual and rotating.
The Committee of Permanent Liaison Officers is responsible for monitoring the implementation of these decisions.
The General Secretariat, based in Ebene, Mauritius, is responsible for implementing the decisions of the decision-making bodies. It develops and manages cooperation projects. It is responsible for mobilizing resources from the donor community.
The revised Victoria Agreement makes the Summit of Heads of State and Government a statutory body of the organisation. The IOC Summit will now be held every five years to set the strategic and political direction of the organisation.

Secretaries-general

Objectives and areas of intervention

As an intergovernmental organisation of cooperation, the Indian Ocean Commission promotes peace and stability, maritime security, food security, environmental conservation, fisheries, climate change adaptation, the interests of island developing states, public health and cultural expression.
Its action is thus in line with the international frameworks to which its member states are signatories, such as the Global Agenda for Sustainable Development to 2030 and the Global Climate Agreement, among others.
In 2018 the IOC launched its Information Fusion Centre for the Indian Ocean region in Madagascar, and the Seychelles Regional Centre for Operational Coordination to conduct joint operations as the executive arm of the Maritime Security Architecture of the Western Indian Ocean. In September 2022, IFC-IOR and RCOC conducted their first joint operations with EUNAVFOR.
In 2020, the IOC is implementing 14 cooperation projects. Over the period 2020–2025, it will manage a total project budget of approximately 130 million euros.