The three-day long Indo-Pacific Regional Dialogue 2024 (IPRD-2024) concluded on 05 Oct 24 in New Delhi.  This annual apex-level strategic dialogue of the Indian Navy was conducted from 03 – 05 October and saw active participation from globally renowned experts from India and abroad, senior officers from the Indian Armed Forces and the Government of India, scholars and the public-at-large. The conference witnessed intensive deliberations in several sub-topics under the overarching theme of “Resource-Geopolitics and Security in the Indo-Pacific”.

The conference, spread over three days, concentrated upon the significant marine resources of the Indo-Pacific such as offshore hydrocarbons, fish and other living marine resources, and mineral resources of the seabed.  Distinguished speakers – academic experts and practitioners – from over twenty countries participated in this mega-conference and presented regional perspectives, backed by their own incisive analyses, on various issues impacting marine resources.

With its thematic focus on resource-geopolitics, the conference also examined the ways in which the competition for resources could potentially fuel contestations, and explored possible avenues through which such situations could be managed. An important factor when discussing resources is sustainable development and harnessing of such resources. This featured extensively in the intensive deliberations during the conference.

The IPRD 2024 offered a platform for free exchange of ideas not only to the countries located within the geographic expanse of the Indo-Pacific, but also to others who have a stake in this region. A common theme emerging from the conference was cooperation amongst stakeholders and the need to work together to find workable solutions that are inclusive, focused on sustainable economic development, and fostering peace.

The opening day’s proceedings of the IPRD included a ‘Professional Session’, in which Amb Kanwal Sibal, Former Foreign Secy. and Chancellor of the Jawaharlal Nehru University delivered a Special Address. This was followed by discussions by a panel of eminent and distinguished scholars from Southeast and East Asia which provided incisive insights on resource-geopolitics and security in these regions. Another important highlight of the first day was a special session titled ‘Chaupal ki Charcha’ during which the heads of missions of Australia, the European Union, France and Indonesia joined the Director General, National Maritime Foundation, in a free-flowing conversation that centred upon the theme of the IPRD 2024.

The second day of the conference consisted of two sessions.  The first session focussed upon cooperative and collaborative options between India and Japan and India and the UK, and also perspectives on new-age resource-geopolitics in South and West Asia, France, and Germany. The second session included interesting presentations on how regional geopolitics is increasingly being shaped and driven, by marine resources, with views from Australia, Sri Lanka, the European Union, India and Papua New Guinea.

The key aspect of the IPRD 2024 was India’s own expression of the importance that it assigns to this region. A series of special addresses by eminent speakers, the most prominent of which were the Commemorative Address by Shri Rajnath Singh, the Hon’ble Raksha Mantri (https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2062068), and a special address by Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, the Chief of the Naval Staff (https://x.com/indiannavy/status/1842237670795403418), offered India’s strategic perspective on the central theme of the IPRD 2024. The most notable aspect of this perspective was India’s willingness to make an effective contribution towards a rules-based, safe and secure Indo-Pacific in which cooperation and collaboration are privileged over contestation and confrontation.

On the concluding day, General Anil Chauhan, the Chief of Defence Staff delivered a Special Address, which was followed by a professional session focussed upon specific aspects of marine resources and maritime security issues relevant to Southern and Eastern Africa, and West Asia. The final session comprised a series of presentations which brought out the salient issues pertaining to marine resources in the Western Indian Ocean and in the Bay of Bengal and the South China Sea. On the sidelines of the IPRD, a specially curated ‘Breakout Session’ was also conducted for the officers from the Indian Armed Forces who are undertaking the Naval Higher Command Course at the Naval War College, Goa. This interaction delved into the military dimension of resource-geopolitics, with participation from serving and retired officers of the Indian Navy and navies of Germany, Italy, and the United States.  

In its exploration and examination of resource-geopolitics within the Indo-Pacific, IPRD 2024 encompassed wide-ranging and multifaceted discussions that were not content with a mere statement or restatement of the problem set, but rather, upon the identification of regional solutions that could guide policy-formulation as well as policy-execution at national, sub-regional and pan-regional levels.

The IPRD 2024 was organised by the National Maritime Foundation (NMF), New Delhi, as the Indian Navy’s knowledge partner.  During the event the National Maritime Foundation inked an MoU with the HORN International Institute for Strategic Studies (Kenya). Additionally, six new publications of the NMF were also released during the IPRD 2024.

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