Programme on enhancing Maritime Domain Awareness in Indian Ocean Region held in Colombo

A programme on enhancing Maritime Domain Awareness in Indian Ocean Region, co-hosted by the United Nations Office on Drugs & Crime (UNODC) and the Sri Lanka Navy was held at Cinnamon Grand Colombo on 26th and 27th March 2024. The event was also attended by the Commander of the Navy, Vice Admiral Priyantha Perera.

The theme of the programme was Charting Unruly Waters: Enhancing Maritime Domain Awareness in the Indian Ocean Region. The first session of the event focused on State of the Ocean: Maritime Domain Awareness in the Indian Ocean Region. Its technical session was led by officials from Indian Ocean countries.

Meanwhile, the second session shed light on New Horizons: Latest MDA tools, trends and technologies and the session was enriched by representatives from Skylighht, Sea Vision, Global Fishing Watch, Joint Analytical Cell and CRIMARIO.

The third session of the event emphasised Building Synergies in the IOR: Public, Practitioners, Policymakers. The technical session was conducted by representatives from Bangladesh Institute of Maritime Research and Development, Geopolitical Cartographer, Maldivian Red Crescent and National Maritime Foundation.

The fourth session on the second day of the programme was held under the theme Connecting the Dots: The Future of MDA in the Indian Ocean Region, with the participation of representatives from Information Fusion Center (IFC) – Indian Ocean Region (IOR), Regional Coordination Operations Center (RCOC), Regional Maritime Information Fusion Center (RMIFC) and Information Fusion Center Singapore.

In his address to the august gathering, Commander of the Navy expressed his gratitude to UNODC Global Maritime Crime Programme (GMCP) for coming forth in co-hosting this two day event along with the Sri Lanka Navy, bringing together international experts, policymakers and practitioners and even industries in the maritime domain to raise awareness and discuss the challenges and opportunities for building a more effective MDA in the Indian Ocean region.

Adding further, he emphasized that this platform had well appraised the need of the hour, to go beyond discussions into developing practical solutions for raising public awareness on the importance of rules-based maritime governance that draws from UNCLOS and other international legal instruments with a focus on the Indian Ocean Region.

The occasion was also attended by the Japanese Ambassador to Sri Lanka, H.E. MIZUKOSHI Hideaki, Head of the UNODC Global Maritime Crime Programme based in Colombo, Ms. Siri Bjune, Director General Operations of the Sri Lanka Navy, Rear Admiral Nishantha Peiris and a group of officials from UNODC.