Indian Ocean Commission


The Indian Ocean Commission is an intergovernmental organization that links African Indian Ocean nations: Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, Réunion, and Seychelles. There are also seven observers: China, India, Japan, the Sovereign Order of Malta, the European Union, the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie, and the United Nations.
The commission was created in 1982 in Port-Louis, Mauritius, and institutionalised in 1984. The secretariat is based in Mauritius. The current secretary-general is Hamada Madi.

Objectives

The COI works on four pillars which have been adopted in 2005 by the Summit of Heads of States:
The original ideas were to encourage trade and tourism. Recently, cooperation has focused on marine conservation and fisheries management. The COI has funded a number of regional and national conservation and alternative livelihoods projects through ReCoMAP, Regional Programme for the Sustainable Management of the Coastal Zones of the Countries of the Indian Ocean. This project ended in 2011. An example of these projects is project to catalyze the development of sea cucumber and seaweed aquaculture in South West Madagascar with the NGOs, Transmad, Blue Ventures, and Madagascar Holothuria.

Administration

The commission has a Secretariat which is located in Mauritius and headed by a Secretary General. The current Secretary General, Hamada Madi, is a former President of Comoros who was appointed in January 2016. Political and strategic orientations of the organisation are under the responsibility of the Council of Ministers which meets annually. The latest Council of Ministers in January 2013. The president is appointed from each member state in rotation; the current president is from Comoros. The highest level of the organisation's structure is the Summit of Heads of States, whose last meeting was held in Madagascar in 2005.