It is an inter-governmental organisation aimed at strengthening regional cooperation and sustainable development within the Indian Ocean region through its 22 Member States bordering the Indian Ocean and 9 Dialogue Partners.

• It was formed in 1997 
• Its secretariat is in Mauritius.
• The IORA is a regional forum that brings together representatives of Government, Business, and academia to promote cooperation and closer interaction among them.
• It is based on the principles of Open Regionalism for strengthening Economic Cooperation, particularly on Trade Facilitation and Investment, Promotion as well as Social Development of the region.
• The members include Australia, Bangladesh, Comoros, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mozambique, Oman, Seychelles, Singapore, Somalia, South Africa, SriLanka, Tanzania, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, Maldives, and Yemen.

Source: The Hindu