Indian Ocean Rim Association ‘examines’ Canada’s application to become observer

Canada’s application to become an observer in the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) will be “examined” at the 28th meeting of the Committee of Senior Officials being held in New Delhi, Sanjiv Ranjan, IORA’s Secretary-General, told The Hindu on Monday (June 16, 2026).

“Canada has made an application to become a dialogue partner of the organisation, and it is being examined at this meeting,” he said.

Mr. Ranjan added member states could benefit from Canada’s potential inclusion into the fold considering its expertise in varied maritime domains.

“They [Canada] are a big maritime power because of the huge coastal zones they have, they also have various initiatives and expertise in maritime safety, security and connectivity, among other areas, which would be of help to other member states of the organisation,” he said.

Mr. Ranjan welcomed the potential peace deal between Iran and the United States that could end more than 100 days of hostilities in the Strait of Hormuz. “It is a welcome thing that we may have an agreement by the end of this week as has been reported,” he said.

Mr. Ranjan said it is imperative that countries look to build capacities to tackle disruptions like the West Asia crisis. “Within the organisation, we recognise that disruptions of this nature (the West Asia crisis) are existential in terms of its magnitude and effect on our societies. Thus, we would advocate that it is always a better idea to build up alternate sources, possibilities to weather such changes,” he said.

Listing out priorities in the Indian Ocean, Mr. Ranjan said disaster response and mitigation remain a priority for IORA. He said the adverse impact of climate change would be “disproportionate” in the Indian Ocean. “Therefore, we must be ready in dealing with that,” he said, adding that it is imperative to build capacities to handle the challenges.