With reference to 'Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC)', consider the following statements:
- 1.It was established very recently in response to incidents of piracy and accidents of oil spills.
- 2.It is an alliance meant for maritime security only.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (d) Neither 1 nor 2
Neither statement is correct. IOR-ARC (now the Indian Ocean Rim Association, IORA) is an inter-governmental organisation set up on 7 March 1997 to promote regional, chiefly economic, cooperation. It was not created in response to piracy or oil spills, and it is not a maritime-security-only alliance.
- ✗ 1. IORA was established on 7 March 1997, nearly two decades before 2015, so it was not created 'very recently'. It was set up as a regional cooperation forum among Indian Ocean rim countries, not as a response to piracy or oil spills.
- ✗ 2. IORA is an inter-governmental organisation for regional cooperation, not a security alliance. It works across six Priority Areas and two Cross-Cutting Issues, so maritime safety and security is only one of several themes.
Remember · IOR-ARC was renamed IORA in 2013. It was founded on 7 March 1997, has its secretariat in Mauritius, and promotes broad regional (especially economic) cooperation across the Indian Ocean rim. It is not a security alliance.
Sources
- Indian Ocean Rim Association – About IORA (official site) ↗ “The Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) is an inter-governmental organisation established on 7 March 1997. … IORA strives to promote regional cooperation in the Indian Ocean region across six Priority Areas and two Cross-Cutting Issues”
Question: UPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) 2015, General Studies Paper I. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 25 Oct 2026 (how we verify). ·
