Context:

Recently, the Indian Navy hosted the fifth edition of the Goa Maritime Symposium (GMS).

More on the news 

• The Symposium was hosted on 23 – 24 September under the aegis of Naval War College, Goa.
• This year’s GMS edition theme was ‘Common Maritime Security Challenges in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) – Progressing Lines of Effort to Mitigate Dynamic Threats such as Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing and Other Illegal Maritime Activities’. 
• The theme was underpinned by the idea of ‘Security and Growth for All in the Region’ (SAGAR).
• SAGAR’s vision for the Indian Ocean Region is rooted in advancing cooperation in the region and using capabilities for the benefit of all in the region.
• Participatory countries: Bangladesh, Indonesia, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Myanmar, Seychelles, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Kenya and Tanzania. 
• The symposium also discussed non-traditional threats in the maritime domain in the Indian Ocean region.
• It was first conceptualised and instituted by the Indian Navy in 2016 and it is held every two years.

Significance of the symposium

• The symposium featured discussions on collaborative information-sharing mechanisms, various measures to strengthen regional cooperation and mitigating emerging non-traditional threats.
• It evaluated the Strengthening of Regional Maritime Security architecture and Enhance Interoperability in the Indian Ocean Region.
• The symposium contributed majorly towards fostering a sense of maritime awareness that presupposes efficiency in cooperative mechanisms.