Indian Ocean Commission

The Indian Ocean Commission (French: Commission de l'Océan Indien, COI) is an intergovernmental organisation that links five African Indian Ocean nations — i.e. Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, Réunion (France), and Seychelles. There are also eight observers as of August 2025 — i.e. China, the European Union, La Francophonie, the Order of Malta, India, Japan, the United Nations and South Korea.

The IOC was created in 1982 in Port-Louis, Mauritius, and institutionalised in 1984 by the Victoria Agreement (Seychelles). The organisation coordinates cooperative efforts amongst its member and observer nations which primarily focus on environmental management and preservation. Some of the more specific areas of focus in its past projects include maritime concerns and fisheries, the needs of growing island states, adapting to climate change outcomes, food security and public health.

The IOC was created in 1982 in Port Louis, by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Mauritius, Madagascar and Seychelles.

In 1984, the General Cooperation Agreement signed in Victoria (Seychelles) institutionalised the organization.

In 1986 — Comoros and Réunion (France), joined the organisation.

In 1989, the IOC was provided with a General Secretariat. The headquarters of the IOC is located in Mauritius.

Since the early 1990s, the IOC has been implementing cooperation projects in environmental management and preservation with the support of the European Union and French cooperation. Over the course of these projects, the IOC has acquired recognised expertise in the management of marine and coastal environments, fisheries and the preservation of biodiversity.

At the beginning of the 2000s, the IOC constantly advocated the specific needs of developing islands, particularly in conferences organised by the United Nations.