Indian Ocean Rim Business Forum (IORBF)

The IORBF is IORA’s private sector arm which first met in 1995.

The IORBF convenes business representatives from IORA Member States and Dialogue Partners to advise IORA ministers and officials on business issues and ways to accelerate intra-regional trade and increase investment flows in the region. Members of the IORBF comprise of senior members of chambers of commerce and members of the business community who can effectively represent the national business interests of their economies.

Key areas of attention include trade facilitation, exploring options for trade policy coordination, the harmonization and simplification of procedures, creating regional value chains, and the dissemination of information through appropriate arrangements, including trade fairs, business-to-business meetings and capacity-building workshops.

 

The important role of the private sector as a complementary partner of governments in promoting a stronger, more equitable, and sustainable growth in IORA countries was reaffirmed by the ‘Joint Declaration on the IORA Business Community to Build Partnerships for a Sustainable and Equitable Economic Growth’, adopted at the Indian Ocean Rim Association Business Summit on 6 March 2017 in Jakarta.

 

New in 2021, IORA is partnering with London-based Global Trade Review (GTR) to feature in GTR’s flagship trade conferences.  An initiative of the Indian Ocean Rim Business Forum (IORBF), IORA will be injecting business perspectives for the Indian Ocean region into topical debates about the trends, opportunities and challenges to expand trade and investment globally, with a focus on IORA’s Member States and Dialogue Partners.  Contact us to learn more.

 

 

The IORBF is currently chaired by Mr. Sheikh Fazle Fahim, Chairman, Euro Petro Products Limited (EPPL), from Bangladesh. The immediate past Chair is His Excellency Humaid Ben Salem, Secretary General of the Federation of UAE Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FCCI).

 

To connect with the IORBF, contact us at hq@iora.int

 

The last IORBF was hosted virtually by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on 20 October 2020 as part of the Annual Investment Meeting.

 

Events to add to the list of events that show on this webpage:

Modernising Trade Conference 2019