Context
Recently, the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI) completes 5 years since its launch in 2019.
About Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI)
- It was launched by India in November 2019 at the East Asia Summit (EAS) in Bangkok, and aims to foster cooperation for a free, open, and regulations-based Indo-Pacific.
- IPOI emphasizes maritime protection, balance, and development, building on India’s Security and Growth for All within the Region (SAGAR) vision.
- It operates as a non-treaty-primarily based, voluntary association, relying on existing frameworks just like the EAS mechanism.
Key Pillars and Leadership of IPOI
- IPOI has seven pillars, with nations taking the lead in precise regions:
- Maritime Security: UK and India
- Maritime Ecology: Australia and Thailand
- Maritime Resources: France and Indonesia
- Capacity Building and Resource Sharing: Germany
- Disaster Risk Reduction and Management: India and Bangladesh
- Science, Technology, and Academic Cooperation: Italy and Singapore
- Trade, Connectivity, and Maritime Transport: Japan and the USA
Significance of IPOI
- IPOI aims to ensure a guidelines- based regional order within the Indo-Pacific, promoting the free movement of goods, services, and those at the same time as safeguarding the sovereignty of nations.
- The IPOI strengthens regional maritime security by encouraging cooperation amongst countries to deal with shared threats, along with piracy, illegal fishing, smuggling, and other maritime crimes.
- IPOI seeks to reinforce regional ability for disaster hazard reduction and management, promoting cooperation in disaster preparedness and reaction, thereby mitigating the effect of herbal calamities.
- As a non-treaty- based and voluntary initiative, IPOI remains flexible, permitting nations to participate based on shared pursuits without growing new institutional burdens.
Way Ahead
- The IPOI has seen incremental progress, with incredible bilateral and multilateral partnerships, which include the Australia-India Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative Partnership (AIIPOIP) focusing on maritime ecology. Various global maritime frameworks, such as ASEAN’s Outlook for the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) and the Quad, resonate with the IPOI’s desires, which strengthens its position in promoting maritime cooperation.
Source: The Indian Express