Brunei Darussalam Reiterates Interest in Joining CTI-CFF

Brunei Darussalam, sitting as an Observer State at the 5th CTI-CFF Ministerial Meeting (MM5) in Manado, Indonesia, on May 15, reconfirmed its intent to be a Party to the CTI-CFF.

The sultanate was represented in the MM5 by Industry and Primary Resources Minister Pehin Dato Yahya Bakar, who told the body that his government is confident they can fulfil the CTI-CFF’s requirements for membership. “Our area may be small, but due to our stringent conservation policies, our marine environment is well-protected,” he said.

In response, the CTI-CFF Ministers reaffirmed that Brunei has attained non-Member Observer State status by virtue of its application for membership in the regional forum. Under the CTI-CFF rules, the CTI-CFF Council of Ministers (CTI COM) may invite States who are applying to become Parties to participate as observers in Ministerial Meetings and Senior Officials Meeting.

Brunei formally expressed its interest to become a CTI-CFF Party in a letter of intent sent to the CTI COM through the Philippines’ National CTI-CFF Coordination Committee. The letter of intent, which the Philippine NCC has endorsed to the Interim Regional Secretariat (IRS), satisfies the first requirement for membership as set out under Rule 21 of the CTI-CFF Rules of Procedure. But there are a number of other requirements that Brunei must comply with to become a CTI-CFF Party, a recent review by the CTI-CFF Coordination Mechanisms Working Group (CMWG) indicated.

Rule 21 requires a State seeking to become a Party to: (1) Meet a set of criteria for membership as agreed by the CTI COM, such as the location of the territory in the Coral Triangle region; diplomatic recognition by all Parties; adoption of the CTI-CFF Declaration; and an ability and willingness to fulfil the CTI-CFF Regional Plan of Action and applicable CTI-CFF programs and projects; (2) Submit, from the Ministry in charge of CTI-CFF matters, a letter of intent addressed to the CTI COM; (3) State its support for the principles and objectives of the CTI-CFF within a Ministerial Meeting; (4) Agree to provide a financial contribution to the operation of the Secretariat consistent with the formula prescribed  under Rule 8 of the CTI-CFF’s Financial Regulations; (5) Adopt the CTI-CFF Rules of Procedure and Secretariat Agreement; and (6) Be approved by a consensus resolution of the CTI COM.

Later in the week, Minister Pehin Dato Yahya also told the World Coral Reef Conference that his country hopes to be a Party to CTI-CFF “as soon as possible.” Having organized and implemented coral reef protection back home, “we want to join a global initiative to conserve coral reefs,” the Minister declared, noting further that Brunei is already a member of the Heart of Borneo, an agreement to protect what is known as Asia’s last great rainforest that also includes Indonesia and Malaysia.

“The Heart of Borneo and the CTI-CFF are interrelated. By joining together we can create synergy and contribute to the effort to conserve the Coral Triangle,” he said.