The Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) is an intergovernmental organization that brings together five Member States: the Union of the Comoros, France on behalf of Reunion, Madagascar, Mauritius and Seychelles. Created by the Port Louis Declaration in 1982, the IOC was institutionalized in Seychelles in 1984 by the General Agreement on Cooperation, better known as the “Victoria Agreement”.
The only regional organization in Africa composed exclusively of islands, it defends the specificities of its Member States on the continental and international scenes. With the active support of a dozen international partners, the IOC gives substance to regional solidarity through cooperation projects covering a wide range of sectors: preservation of ecosystems, sustainable management of natural resources, maritime safety, entrepreneurship, public health, renewable energy and culture.
While taking care to respect the principles of coordination, complementarity and subsidiarity, the IOC assumes a role of accompaniment, or even impetus, in areas where its Member States need specific support and where collective action constitutes an added value.
This experience accumulated over the course of projects makes the IOC a key player with recognized expertise that is useful for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. In addition, the IOC implements cooperation projects that go beyond the geographical framework of its Member States to cover the countries of Eastern and Southern Africa, and even the island countries of the western side of the continent.
Gaining in attractiveness and political stature, the IOC has not only strengthened and diversified its partnerships with the community of technical and financial partners but also welcomed since 2016 observer members.
Solicited on several fronts, the IOC has been leading for more than thirty-five years the collective action of a region, the Indian Ocean, vulnerable by nature and ambitious by choice.