The Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI) is a non-treaty-based, voluntary arrangement and a strategic concept launched by India to promote cooperation for a free, open, and rules-based regional order in the Indo-Pacific maritime domain. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the IPOI on November 4, 2019, at the 14th East Asia Summit (EAS) in Bangkok, Thailand. The initiative was created to widen the scope of the Indo-Pacific narrative beyond traditional security and geopolitical challenges to include economic, development, and environmental issues. It builds upon India's earlier maritime vision, Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR), articulated in 2015.
The IPOI works through seven central, thematic pillars that cover the security-development-capacity building continuum: Maritime Security; Maritime Ecology; Maritime Resources; Capacity Building & Resource Sharing; Disaster Risk Reduction and Management; Science, Technology and Academic Cooperation; and Trade, Connectivity and Maritime Transport. The mechanism involves like-minded countries voluntarily taking the lead on specific pillars. For instance, India and the United Kingdom co-lead the Maritime Security pillar, while Australia and Thailand co-lead Maritime Ecology.
The IPOI is closely connected to the East Asia Summit (EAS) mechanism and complements other regional frameworks like the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) and the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA). The initiative is designed to be flexible and inclusive, allowing countries to participate in issue-based partnerships without formal alliance commitments. Recently, the initiative has gained traction with new partners joining; for example, Spain formally acceded to the IPOI in March 2026, and South Korea agreed to join in April 2026. The core structure of the seven pillars has stayed the same since its launch.