Specialised Agencies and MOU's

According to the IORA Charter, Specialized Agencies may be established by a decision by the Member States to promote activities in cooperation with the IORA Secretariat.

There are currently two specialized agencies affiliated with IORA: the Regional Centre for Science and Transfer of Technology (RCSTT) based in Tehran, Iran and the Fisheries Support Unit (FSU) in Muscat, Oman.

The Regional Centre for Science and Transfer of Technology (RCSTT) was established through an MOU with IORA in 2008. Its objective is to promote regional integration and co-operation among the IORA Member States by supporting applied research, networking, technology transfer and commercialization. It was created following a recommendation by the IORA Academic Group and approved at the 7th Council of Ministers’ Meeting, held in March 2007 in Tehran.

The Fisheries Support Unit (FSU) was similarly created through an MOU between IORA and the Sultanate of Oman pursuant to a decision at the 4th Council of Ministers' Meeting in Sri Lanka in October 2003. Its objectives are, to enhance cooperation within the fisheries sector of IORA, better utilization of fisheries resources, expertise exchange and conducting joint research activities.

Its objectives are to enhance cooperation within the fisheries sector of IORA, better utilise fisheries resources, exchange expertise and conduct joint research activities.

 

IORA also has a number of internal and external MOUs to strengthen engagement with key stakeholders and partners.

• MOU between IORA Member States for the Coordination and Cooperation of Search and Rescue Services in the Indian Ocean Region which promotes regional coordination of search and rescue efforts (October 2014).

• MOU between the Seawater Desalination and Multipurpose Utilization (ISDMU) of the Chinese State Oceanic Administration (SOA) and RCSTT. This established the IORA RCSTT Coordination Centre for Desalination Technologies to deepen understanding of seawater technology and facilitate technology transfers (May 2015).

• MOU between IORA Member States for the Promotion of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) was launched at the 17th Council of Ministers’ Meeting held in Durban, South Africa. This is the first economic MOU signed within IORA. It creates a framework for capacity building to grow and support SMEs which are crucial economic units driving employment creation and poverty alleviation around the region (October 2017).

• MOU between IORA and the Indian Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS) to enhance academic cooperation in the region and other international economic and development issues (January 2018).

• MOU between the RCSTT and the Indian Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CSIR-CIMAP) for Technical Cooperation, Technology Transfer and Commercialization of Medicinal Plants. This facilitates joint projects and transfer of scientific information in the field of medical plants (February 2018).