Secretary General H.E. Salman Al Farisi

At the 21st IORA Council of Ministers (COM) Meeting held in hybrid-format from Dhaka, Bangladesh on 17 November 2021, the decision was taken by Member States to assign H.E. Ambassador Salman Al Farisi from Indonesia to the post of Secretary General of IORA from 05 January 2022. 

According to the IORA Charter, the Secretary General is appointed by the Council of Ministers (COM) for a term of three years, renewable for one additional term, from candidates nominated by the Member States on the basis of qualification, experience and suitability. He/She is responsible to the Council of Ministers for all activities of the Association, participates in its meetings and provides an annual report to the Council of Ministers on the work of the Association. 

The Secretary-General serves as the Chief Administrative Officer of the Secretariat and performs its functions in accordance with terms and conditions provided in the IORA Charter and the Rules of Procedure.

The Secretary-General represents the IORA Secretariat at the Council of Ministers (COM), the Committee of Senior Officials (CSO) and the Working Groups, reporting the proceedings and decisions of the meetings and following up on the implementation of the decisions.

The Secretary-General facilitates any other meetings as specifically instructed by the COM and/or the CSO and reports on proceedings and decisions.

The Secretary-General ensures the efficient operation of the Secretariat, preparing and submitting progress reports, and regularly reporting on the status of the Association's work programme and calendar of events to Member States.  He/she compiles and distributes any other annual or periodical publications or documents as instructed by the COM and/or the CSO.

The Secretary-General bears full responsibility for the management of the fiscal resources of the Secretariat, as well as the management of the Association's budget, finances and financial records, including expenditure made by the Secretariat and any funds held by the IORA. He/she must present a sufficiently detailed annual budget and audited financial statements to the COM and CSO for approval.

The Secretary-General recommends to the CSO, in line with agreed IORA guidelines and procedures, for a change in the status of a project that may not be proceeding as approved by the CSO.  This should follow a process of monitoring and consultation with the project coordinators, in line with guidelines agreed by IORA.

The Secretary-General, in conformity with the objectives of IORA and for the effective fulfilment of the Secretariat functions, assigns the appropriate division of work among the staff members based on their job descriptions.

The Secretary-General supervises the preparation and distribution of documents, publications and correspondence of the Secretariat, guides the work of the Directors in carrying out their specified duties and supervises any supporting staff according to the terms and conditions of the organization.

The Secretary-General is responsible and accountable to the Chair of IORA and Member States for the smooth and effective functioning of the Secretariat, the maintenance of IORA properties held at the Secretariat and the maintenance of any premises and properties provided to the Secretariat under the agreed terms and conditions.

The Secretary-General reports on an annual basis to the Chair of the CSO on the performance of all staff at the Secretariat, including that of the Secretary-General.  These evaluations should be the result of supervisor and peer assessments made by all staff and the Secretary-General, based on key performance indicators.

H.E. Salman Al Farisi  has been appointed as Secretary General of the Indian Ocean Rim Secretariat in Mauritius on 5 January 2022 for a term of 3 years.  Prior to his appointment, H.E. served as the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Indonesia to the Republic of South Africa, Kingdom of Eswatini, Republic of Botswana and Kingdom of Lesotho from 2018  to  2022.

A remarkable career as diplomat and joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia in 1990. He holds a Doctoral in Policy Studies from the University of Gadjah Mada, Indonesia and a Master Degree in International Relations from Tufts University, USA.

H.E. Al Farisi handle Economic diplomacy, bilateral cooperation on fisheries, science and technology, defense cooperation agreement, joint trade commission. Coordinate humanitarian assistance with NGOs, promote multilateral cooperation on political, security, economic and social development, human rights, global trade, governance, climate change and other environment issues and  manage technical cooperation among developing countries (TCDC) for Asia-Pacific region.

H.E. Al Farisi  served different posts at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia from 1990 to 2018:-

• 2017 to 2018 - Senior Advisor for Institutional Relations.
• April 2015 to  September 2017 - Acting Director General for Multilateral Affairs,
• June 2015 to July 2016 -  Acting Head of Policy Analysis and Development Agency
• 2012 to 2014 - Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the United Arab Emirates
• 2008-2012 - Chief of Mission (DCM), Embassy in Washington D.C.
• 2005 – 2008 Director for Economic and Environmental Development, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• 2003 – 2005 - Deputy Director for ECOSOC
• 1999 – 2003 First Secretary/Councellor, Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York
• 1996-1999 Head of Section for Asia Pacific, Sub Directorate for Double Taxation Avoidance
• 1992-1995 Third Secretary/Second Secretary, Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand.
• 1990-1992 - Acting Head of Section for Asia Pacific, Sub Directorate for Technical Cooperation,

His published Book “Indonesia – South Africa: A South South Partnership in the Making” in commemorating 25 years Indonesia – South Africa Diplomatic Relation (2019).

He is married and father of two children.