Celebrating the 24th Anniversary of the Indian Ocean Rim Association on 25 March 2021, virtually!
‘’As we commemorate the 24th Anniversary of the Indian Ocean Rim Association, our strength lies in our diversity, stretching all the way from South Africa in the west, running up the eastern coast of Africa, along the Gulf to South and Southeast Asia, reaching Australia in the east.’’ – Dr Gatot Gunawan, Acting Secretary General of IORA.
This year, the Secretariat in collaboration with the Republic of India, welcomed Member States and Dialogue Partners to the first ever virtual celebrations on the occasion of IORA Day, held on Thursday, 25 March 2021. ‘’Today is a significant day as we celebrate IORA Day 2021. Unfortunately, we are still in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic: some countries having their second wave while some are entering the third wave. This pandemic has crippled our economy and put burden on the health infrastructures across the world.’’ said Dr Gunawan.
The celebrations for IORA Day 2021 included an IORA Seminar on Yoga and Ayurveda, on the theme of “Wellness and Holistic Living in the time of COVID-19”, which was hosted by the Ministry of External Affairs in collaboration with the Ministry of AYUSH of the Government of India.
In addition, the Secretariat welcomed high ranking officials from governments to the official launch of the IORA Day 2021 video prepared by the Chair, the United Arab Emirates, featuring the IORA Troika Members. This virtual celebration hosted by the IORA Secretariat also broadcasted special congratulatory messages form Honourable Foreign Ministers and IORA Senior Officials from Member States and Dialogue Partners.
To further mark the occasion of IORA Day 2021, the Acting Secretary General, Dr Gunawan, launched the IORA ‘Connecting the Youth of the Indian Ocean Region’ Writing Competition which will be led by the Secretariat. This Writing competition is aimed at seeking contributions, such as written papers, poems, or articles on any topic of interest based on IORA’s Priority and Focus Areas, or a specific theme such as climate change, marine plastic debris etc. The competition is a first for IORA and it is expected to contribute to the visibility of IORA amongst the youth within the region.
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