Vice President Faisal Naseem departed for Bangladesh on Wednesday to attend the sixth Indian Ocean Conference (IOC). The conference will take place from May 12-13 in Dhaka.
The President’s Office said in a statement that Vice President Naseem is slated to speak at the inaugural session. He will also meet with high-level dignitaries and the Maldivian community residing in Bangladesh.
Since its inception in 2016, the IOC has become a flagship consultative forum for countries in the region to discuss regional affairs. This year’s conference revolves around the theme “Peace, Prosperity, and Partnership for a Resilient Future”. It aims to gather key stakeholders to develop a roadmap for strengthening the Indian Ocean Region.
The sixth Indian Ocean Conference is organised by India Foundation in association with Bangladesh’s Foreign Affairs Ministry, and S Rajaratnam School of International Studies. The previous IOC was hosted in Abu Dhabi, UAE, in 2021. It featured 37 speakers from 21 countries. The fifth edition focused on the challenges posed by climate change, the impact of Covid-19 on the Indian Ocean Region countries, as well as economic recovery and growth in emerging markets and developing countries within the region.
The IOC boasts a diverse administrative committee comprising senior government officials representing countries such as India, Singapore, Oman, and Bangladesh.
