- It is annual conference that aims to bring together Heads of States/Governments, Ministers, thought leaders, scholars, diplomats, bureaucrats and practitioners from across the region on a single platform.
- It has been initiated by Delhi based think tank India Foundation along with its partners from Singapore, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
- So far, two successful editions of conference were hosted in 2016 and 2017 in Singapore and Sri Lanka respectively.
- Both Conferences were supported by Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) of India and had seen participation from over 35 countries.
- Why in news? The third edition of Indian Ocean Conference was held in Hanoi, capital city of Vietnam from 27-28 August 2018.