The Indian Ocean Commission (, COI) is an intergovernmental organisation that links African Indian Ocean nations: Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, Réunion (an overseas region of France), and Seychelles. There are also seven observers: China, the European Union, the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie, the Sovereign Order of Malta, India, Japan and the United Nations. The IOC was created in 1982 in Port-Louis, Mauritius, and institutionalised in 1984 by the Victoria Agreement (Seychelles). Historical background 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 France (Réunion Island), joined the organisation. In 1989, the IOC was provided with a General Secretariat. The headquarters of the IOC is located in Mauritius. Development 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. In September 2005, the IOC requested observer status at the UN General Assembly. In 2016, the People's Republic of China becomes the first observer member of the organisation. It is followed in 2017 by the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie, the Sovereign Order of Malta and the European Union. In 2018, the IOC assumes the chairmanship of the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS) for a period of two years. In 2020, Kenya takes over the chairmanship. However, the IOC continues to serve as the secretariat of the CGPCS. In 2019, at a ministerial retreat in Moroni (Comoros), the Moroni Declaration on the Future of the IOC is adopted. This text deals with the modernisation of the IOC. During the 34th Council of Ministers of March 6, 2020 in Seychelles, the Victoria Agreement, the founding text of the IOC, is revised. In 2020, India, Japan and the United Nations become observer members. The IOC's project portfolio has expanded considerably: political stability, public health, gender, mobility, entrepreneurship, infrastructure, regional connectivity (digital, air, maritime), trade negotiations, maritime security, food security and agricultural development, fisheries and fisheries