Episcopal Conference of the Indian Ocean Episcopal Conference of the Indian Ocean The Episcopal Conference of the Indian Ocean (French: Conférence Épiscopale de l'Océan Indien, CEDOI) is an agency of the Catholic Church which includes following Indian Ocean archipelagoes: Comoros, Mauritius, Réunion, Mayotte and Seychelles. Since 1974, the bishops of the Indian Ocean islands would gather each year in an informal meeting. In 1976 the Holy See recognized this assembly with the name of Pastoral Zone of the South West Indian Ocean islands. In 1985 the assembly obtained from Rome the status of a Bishops' Conference with the official name of Conférence Épiscopale de l'Océan Indien.
Indian Ocean Research Group and associated choke points is especially significant for the movement of commodities, especially oil, to Northeast Asia, Western Europe and North America. The Indian Ocean is known to contain natural resources, the significance of which has yet to be fully determined. The Indian Ocean Marine Affairs Cooperation (IOMAC) grouping, for example, has already been involved for several years in issues associated with the management of the Indian Ocean tuna fishery. The exploitation of these resources, among others, in the context of the delimitation of exclusive economic zones requires careful monitoring and inter-state collaboration. Maintaining the integrity of the regional environment