7th Ministerial Meeting of Coral Triangle Initiative to Discuss Regional Plan of Action Version 2.0

Date:

04 December 2018

Uploaded By:

Janet Rosalie Anne H. Polita

Manado, Indonesia 28 November 2018 – Ten years into implementation of the Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI), the environment and marine ministers of the Coral Triangle (CT) member countries – Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste will gather together in the 7^th Ministerial Meeting to be held on 14^th December 2018 in Manila, Philippines. One of the agenda items is the discussion of a redesigned Regional Plan of Action (RPOA) version 2.0 and CTI system in 2019 to keep pace with the changing needs of the CT region.

The RPOA sets the foundation for the CTI’s long-term vision and goals to protect the socio-economic and environmental assets of the CT region, which is the global epicentre of marine life, abundance and biodiversity. The RPOA goals are priority seascapes designated and effectively managed; ecosystem approach fisheries management (EAFM) and other marine resources fully applied; marine protected areas established and effectively managed; climate change adaptation measures achieved; and threatened species status improving.

The need for RPOA 2.0 is a result of a recently completed review by independent experts on the effectiveness of the 10-Year RPOA with regard to fit of the plan, focus, responsiveness and implementation arrangements around it.

The Ministerial Meeting will also gather senior-level officials from marine conservation development partners and collaborators namely, Australian Government – Department of Environment and Energy (DOEE), USAID, Asian Development Bank (ADB), Conservation International (CI), World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), The Nature Conservancy (TNC), Coral Triangle Center (CTC), German Corporation for International Cooperation (GIZ), Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), and Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Centre (SEAFDEC), to discuss implementation of national and regional programs in each country as well as plans for the next two years.

Further, in said meeting, the Government of the Philippines will hand over the CTI-CFF Chairmanship of the Council of Ministers (COM) to the Government of the Solomon Islands.

The 7^th Ministerial Meeting will be preceded by the 14^th Senior Officials Meeting on 12^th-13^th December 2018. The Committee of Senior Officials (CSOs) oversees and decides on the technical decisions of the CTI as well as provide direction to the CTI Regional Secretariat.

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About CTI-CFF

The Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries, and Food Security (CTI -CFF) is a multilateral partnership of six countries: Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Solomon Islands, and Timor-Leste (CT6). The CT6 countries work together to sustain extraordinary marine and coastal resources by addressing crucial issues such as food security, climate change, and marine biodiversity. The CTI-CFF was established formally during the Leaders’ Summit in 2009 with approval of the leaders from the CT6 countries. They adopted the CTI Regional Plan of Action (CTI RPOA) which is a strategic action plan with five goals: (1) designation of effectively managed seascapes; (2) application of an ecosystem approach to fisheries management; (3) establishment of a fully functional marine protected area system; (4) strengthening climate change adaptation and resilience; and (5) improving the status of threatened marine species.

About Regional Secretariat

The Regional Secretariat (RS) of the CTI-CFF is mandated to promote regional cooperation, knowledge sharing, and learning facilities within the six-member countries of the Coral Triangle. The RS coordinates and monitors the progress of the implementation of the Regional Plan of Action (RPOA) goals. The RS coordinates and supports official meetings and events linked to the CTI-CFF process, including cross-cutting services in support of monitoring and evaluation, financial coordination, information management and outreach. It also coordinates the implementation of CTI-CFF RPOA and provides support to, and coordination with, NCCs, including advising the CTI-CSO on emerging opportunities and priorities to reaching the goals and targets of the RPOA. The RS also acts as the channel of communication and information sharing and foster networking among the Parties, CTI Partners and other organizations and donors in the efforts to promote the objectives of the CTI-CFF. The Regional Secretariat is based in Manado, North Sulawesi, Indonesia.