The Indo-Pacific Regional Dialogue (IPRD) is the annual international conference conducted by the Indian Navy. The IPRD 2023 was held for three days in November 2023. In this article, you can read all about the Indo-Pacific Regional Dialogue, its significance and outcomes for the UPSC exam international relations segment.
Indo-Pacific Regional Dialogue
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What is the Indo-Pacific Regional Dialogue?
The Indo-Pacific Regional Dialogue is the apex-level global dialogue/conference on maritime strategy held by the Indian Navy annually.
- The conference is chiefly organised by the National Maritime Foundation (NMF), which is also the Navy’s chief knowledge partner for the international event.
- The IPRD aims to review the prevailing geopolitical situation in the Indo-Pacific region and identify opportunities and challenges emanating from the moves (and counter-moves) of the various regional and global players with respect to the region.
- As such, the conference is of immense importance to India’s policy formulation concerning foreign policy, especially for the Indo-Pacific region.
- The very first IPRD was held in 2018.
Indo-Pacific Regional Dialogue 2023
The fifth edition of the IPRD was held in November 2023 in New Delhi from the 15th to the 18th of the month.
- The overarching theme of IPRD-2023 is “Geopolitical Impacts upon Indo-Pacific Maritime Trade and Connectivity”.
- Sessions were held on the following topics:
- Nodes of Maritime Connectivity
- China’s Impact vis-à-vis Maritime Connectivity across the Indo-Pacific
- Maritime Connectivity through Shipping and Trade
- Maritime Connectivity through Shipping and Trade (Part 2)
- Private Industry in the Safety and Security of Indo-Pacific Maritime Trade and Shipping
- Maintaining a Rules-based, Safe, and Secure Indo-Pacific
- The dialogue was attended by speakers from 16 countries. Apart from that, students, military practitioners, scholars, eminent citizens, members of the diplomatic corps, and think-tanks from India and abroad.
Indo-Pacific Regional Dialogue 2022
The fourth edition of the IPRD was held for three days in November 2022 in New Delhi.
- The theme of the 2022 edition was “Operationalising the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI) Programme”.
- The 2022 edition explored how the areas of maritime cooperation envisaged in the IPOI could be optimally and inclusively operationalised.
- The event also worked to identify opportunities along the following contemporary themes:
- Theme 1: Weaving the Fabric of Holistic Maritime Security in the Indo-Pacific: Multilateral Options
- Theme 2: Constructing Holistic-Security Bridges across the Western and Eastern Maritime Expanse of the Indo-Pacific
- Theme 3: Building Maritime Connectivity: Ports, Trade, and Transport
- Theme 4: Practical approaches to a Regional Blue Economy [with particular focus on the ecologically-sensitive harvesting of marine resources]
- Theme 5: Capacity-building and Capability Enhancement: Leveraging the Physical and Social Sciences
- Theme 6: Disaster Risk-Reduction and Management: Solutions for SIDS and Vulnerable Littoral States
Indo-Pacific Regional Dialogue 2021
This is the third edition of the Indo-Pacific Regional Dialogue. The IPRD-2021 was held under the broad theme of “Evolution in Maritime Strategy during the 21st Century: Imperatives, Challenges, and, Way Ahead”.
The Dialogue covered eight sub-themes, which are as under:
- Evolving Maritime Strategies within the Indo-Pacific: Convergences, Divergences, Expectations and Apprehensions
- Adaptive Strategies to Address the Impact of Climate Change upon Maritime Security
- Port-led Regional Maritime Connectivity and Development Strategies
- Cooperative Maritime Domain Awareness Strategies
- Impact of the Increasing Recourse to Lawfare upon a Rules-based Indo-Pacific Maritime Order
- Strategies to Promote Regional Public-Private Maritime Partnerships
- Energy-Insecurity and Mitigating Strategies
- Strategies to Address the Manned-Unmanned Conundrum at Sea
The Dialogue featured insightful discussions on the geopolitical developments affecting the maritime domain of the Indo-Pacific.
Indo-Pacific Regional Dialogue 2019
- IPRD examined five themes:
- Practical solutions for achieving cohesion in the region through maritime connectivity
- Measures to attain and maintain a free and open Indo-Pacific
- Examining a regional approach to Blue Economy
- Opportunities from Maritime-Industry 4.0
- Regional opportunities arising from SAGAR and SAGARMALA
Indo-Pacific Regional Dialogue 2018
- IPRD-2018 focussed on four major sub-themes:
- Maritime trade
- Regional connectivity
- Pan-regional challenges such as those of persistent maritime surveillance, the increasing digitisation of the maritime space, and cyber-malevolence within the maritime domain
- Role of industry in enhancing holistic maritime security
- It is India’s first maritime think tank that conducts independent research on the maritime domain.
- It was established in 2005 and is based in New Delhi.
- Even though it is an autonomous think tank, its organisational development is supported by the Indian Navy and the Union Ministry of Defence.
- The body also gives inputs for policy formulation.
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