About the Speaker

An economist by profession, Mr Raj Mohabeer holds, since 2000, the post of Officer in Charge at the General Secretariat of the Indian Ocean Commission – an inter-governmental Organisation of the South-West Indian Ocean Island States. Prior to this period, he was working as an economist at the Ministry of Economic Planning and Development of the Republic of Mauritius. His portfolio includes economic cooperation, trade, regional integration and infrastructure, maritime security and blue economy – areas of intervention that span to countries beyond the IOC Member States and region. He also deals with Small Islands Developing States issues together with the Pacific and Caribbean regions.

Raj Mohabeer has gained extensive and deep knowledge of the region. Among the various dossiers under his responsibility, Mr Mohabeer has been promoting Blue Economy and has spearheaded the development of a Maritime Security Architecture for the Western Indian Ocean under the MASE Programme, actively advocating for the participation of the international community to join in. He has also been the head of the Secretariat for the Contact Group Against Piracy Off the Coast of Somalia.