Goa Maritime Conclave 2023

What’s in Today’s Article?

• Why in News?
• What is the Goa Maritime Conclave (GMC)?
• Key highlights of the Defence Minister of India’s Speech
• Significance of the GMC 2023

Why in News?

• In his keynote address at the 4th edition of the Goa Maritime Conclave, the Defence Minister of India said ‘might is right’ has no place in a ‘free, open and rule-based’ maritime order.
• Stressing the need for establishing multi-national collaborative frameworks to effectively tackle common maritime challenges in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), he said a free, open and rule-based maritime order is a priority for all of us. 

What is the Goa Maritime Conclave (GMC)?

• The GMC is the Indian Navy's outreach Initiative providing a multinational platform to harness the collective wisdom of practitioners of maritime security and the academia towards garnering outcome-oriented maritime thought.
  • The previous editions of the biennial event were held in 2017, 2019, and 2021.
• The 4th edition of GMC is being held from 29-31 October by the Indian Navy under the aegis of Naval War College in Goa.
• At the GMC-23, Admiral R Hari Kumar (Chief of the Naval Staff) would be hosting chiefs of navies/ heads of maritime forces/ senior representatives from 12 Indian Ocean littorals.
  • This includes Bangladesh, Comoros, Indonesia, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mauritius, Myanmar, Seychelles, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.
• The Defence Minister of India (Rajnath Singh) will be the Chief Guest and will deliver the keynote address.
• The theme for this year's edition of GMC - "Maritime Security in the Indian Ocean Region: Converting Common Maritime Priorities into Collaborative Mitigating Frameworks".
• The theme has been derived keeping in mind the necessity of synergising and collaborating efforts in the maritime domain towards achieving maritime security in the IOR.
• As part of the conclave, visiting delegates would get an opportunity to -
  • Witness India's Indigenous shipbuilding industry at the “Make in India” exhibition and
  • Witness the indigenous warships as well as the capabilities of the Deep Submergence Rescue Vessel (DSRV).

Key highlights of the Defence Minister of India’s Speech

• Might is right has no place in a ‘free, open and rule-based’ maritime order.
• Adherence to international maritime laws, as enunciated in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) 1982, must be our guide.
  • UNCLOS embodies in one instrument traditional rules for the uses of the oceans and at the same time introduces new legal concepts and regimes and addresses new concerns.
  • The Convention also provides the framework for further development of specific areas of the law of the sea.
• Narrow immediate interests may tempt us to flout or disregard the well-established international law, but doing so would lead to the breakdown of our civilised maritime relations.
• Our common security and prosperity cannot be preserved without all of us committing to cooperatively adhering to the legitimate maritime rules of engagement.
• Fair rules of engagement are crucial for fostering collaboration and ensuring that no single country dominates others in a hegemonic manner.
• Our problems are common. We call them problems without a passport - piracy, drug trafficking, terrorism, arms smuggling, and to tackle such problems, we need cooperation and collaboration.
• A multi-national collaborative effort is needed for compilation and sharing of surveillance data to tackle Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing.
  • It will help in identifying actors with irregular or threatening behaviour, which will have to be countered resolutely.
  • IUU fishing endangers ocean ecosystems and sustainable fisheries and also threatens our economic security and regional and global food security.

Significance of the GMC 2023

• It comes amidst growing concerns about China expanding its footprint in the Indian Ocean Region in recent times.
• The aim of the forum is to find regional solutions to regional problems.
  • While there are larger constructs such as the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS), BIMSTEC, sometimes at larger constructs, it is difficult to reach a consensus.
  • When the numbers are smaller, it is easier to arrive at a workable solution in a smaller time frame.
• On climate change, the collaborative mitigation framework can involve the countries working together to reduce carbon emissions and transition to sustainable practices.

Q1) What is BIMSTEC?

The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is a regional organisation that was established in 1997 with the signing of the Bangkok Declaration.

Q2) What is the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS)?

The IONS is a series of biennial meetings between the littoral states of the Indian Ocean region. It provides a forum to increase maritime security cooperation, discuss regional maritime issues, and promote friendly relationships among the member states.

Source: ‘Might is right’ has no place in rule-based maritime order: Rajnath| DH