The Policy Board I am honoured to chair has a twofold mandate. On the one hand, it is to provide strategic recommendations and guidance to the IORIS Steering Committee in order for it to make decisions of strategic and political importance for the future development and management of the platform. On the other hand, the Policy Board aims to implement the decisions taken by the Steering Committee in what regards the operational, legal, and technical aspects of the future development of the IORIS platform.

The Operational Working Group’s mandate focuses on three main aspects: first, to ensure IORIS continues to meet the needs of maritime operations across the Indo-Pacific region. This includes developing and updating regional and national Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for IORIS use, which provide structured guidance to all users. Additionally, we conduct continuous reviews of the platform’s operational usage, identifying lessons learned and success stories to guide the platform’s ongoing improvements. By closely analysing these insights, we drive critical upgrades to the platform, as with the forthcoming Version 4, to keep it responsive to the evolving challenges in maritime security and information sharing. In essence, our mission within the OWG is to enhance IORIS’s functionality, streamline interoperability, and reinforce its role as a vital tool for maritime communications, coordination, and cooperation.