Secretary (Maritime Affairs Unit) of Foreign Ministry Md Khurshed Alam on Wednesday was elected as the chairperson of the IOC Regional Committee for the Central Indian Ocean (IOCINDIO) for the term May 2021-May 2023.
The election was held during the final day of the virtual meeting of 8th session of the IOCINDIO-VIII, held on May 17-19 May, a Foreign Ministry press release said.
This comes as a true recognition of the trust and confidence of the International Community on the outstanding career and eminent qualifications of Admiral Alam to preside over the Regional Committee, said the release.
Dr Saif Mohammed AlGhais from the United Arab Emirates and Maryam Ghaemi from Islamic Republic of Iran were also elected as the vice-chairpersons during the session.
Currently, the IOCINDIO, established in 1982, has 19 members namely, Australia, Bangladesh, France, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, the UAE and the UK.
The IOCINDIO is recognized as a facilitator in the Indian Ocean region to promote ocean knowledge, sustained observations and services through continued improvement of ocean governance towards a healthy ocean and to ensure sustainable prosperity in the region.
IOCINDIO-VIII meeting discussed new projects and programs and agreed that there is increasing recognition and understanding of the reliance of humankind on the vital life-supporting services provided by the ocean.
The High-Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy considers the ocean as a source of solutions for climate change mitigation and for many dimensions of a sustainable ocean economy including the future of food and energy.
Bangladesh is also an active member of the IOCWESTPAC Sub-Commission and recently hosted the “13th Intergovernmental Session of the IOC Sub-Commission for the Western Pacific (WESTPAC-XIII)”, held virtually on April 27-29 last.
