Indo-Pacific Regional Dialogue 2022 (IPRD-2022) Held in Delhi

 4th Edition Of IPRD Organized By The National Maritime Foundation (NMF).

In New Delhi, the Indian Navy's three-day summit-level regional strategic dialogue known as the "Indo-Pacific Regional Dialogue 2022" (IPRD-2022) came to an end. Over 800 people, including representatives from friendly foreign nations and international organisations, are participating in IPRD-2022, which is being organized by the National Maritime Foundation (NMF), New Delhi, as a knowledge partner of the Indian Navy. NMF, which was established in 2005, is the only maritime think tank in the country and focuses on all activities related to India's maritime interests. It has gained worldwide recognition for conducting unbiased, unique and policy-relevant research on all "matters maritime".

IPRD-2022 Themes

Over the course of three days, IPRD-2022 organized six professional sessions on the themes of maritime security, marine ecology and marine resources. Additional sessions included capacity building and resource sharing, disaster risk reduction and management, trade connectivity and maritime transport. As part of the event, globally renowned speakers and eminent panelists explored how areas of maritime cooperation can be operationalized optimally and inclusively. Besides this, there was also a guidance session which included addresses by Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav.

IPRD Objective

IPRD, an annual international conference, aims to promote discussion and encourage exchange of views on maritime issues related to the Indo-Pacific, which is primarily a maritime zone stretching from the east coast of Africa to India to the West Coast of America. The Navy's flagship annual international conference, IPRD, serves as the primary vehicle for Navy participation at the strategic level. Each edition of the event is led by the National Maritime Foundation (NMF), which along with the Navy is the knowledge partner of the event. The first two IPRD conferences were held in New Delhi in 2018 and 2019 respectively; Although IPRD 2020 was postponed due to Covid-19, the third edition of IPRD took place online in 2021.

Indo-Pacific Ocean Initiative (IPOI)

The operationalization of the Indo-Pacific Ocean Initiative (IPOI) is the focus of IPRD-2022, which was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the 14th East Asia Summit (EAS) in Bangkok on November 4, 2019. The inaugural session of the event focused on the importance of the Indo-Pacific in the current geopolitical environment, with a special emphasis on India's maritime policy, which is summarized by SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) , and 1st- the order specification awarded to Sagar by the Indo-Pacific Ocean Initiative (IPOI), which was announced by PM Narendra Modi on November 14, 2019, when he spoke at the 14th East Asia Summit in Bangkok.

                          The inaugural address described the Indian Navy's efforts to promote maritime cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region. It highlighted several issues that are important not only for India but also for other countries in the Indo-Pacific region. These issues generally included imperatives at home, influences from outside and some intrusive paradigms, and it was noted that in order to address these issues and ensure a safe, secure and stable Indo-Pacific, all Stakeholders will need to work together. The Indian Navy considered itself to have a significant stake in the realization of each of the seven intricately interlinked spokes or pillars of the IPOI. Furthermore, the use of IPOI is necessary to handle the three important and connected areas of security, economics and environment.

Perspectives on Building Maritime Security Cooperation

The inaugural session was followed by two thematic sessions on "Building Composite-Security Bridges in the Western and Eastern Maritime Exarches of the Indo-Pacific" and "Weaving Composite Maritime Security in the Indo-Pacific: Multilateral Options". Internationally renowned subject-matter experts presented in these seminars a variety of multilateral and national perspectives on building maritime security cooperation that can best bind the Indo-Pacific. Defense Minister Rajnath stressed the importance of the Indo-Pacific region and expressed the country's intention to engage constructively in the region for shared prosperity and security. They noted well-established ways of cooperation in the form of initiatives related to improving trade and connectivity, capacity building and infrastructure.

The Way Forward

The annual international conference aims to encourage discussion on maritime issues important to the Indo-Pacific. India is well equipped to deal with threats in the maritime domain, both present and future. In addition to enhancing military capabilities, India needs to develop other aspects of its maritime power, such as merchant marine, ports, and the capacity for sustainable management of the country's marine resources. We can communicate a universal message of humanity to the entire Indo-Pacific region because of a greater relationship. India is determined to move forward on this path of shared prosperity and security. At the same time, it emphasizes the importance of ASEAN in our efforts to respect the Indo-Pacific region.