On January 20, 2012, Malaysia’s Science, Technology, and Innovation Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Maximus Ongkili, made his first official visit to the Coral Triangle Initiative Interim Regional Secretariat in Jakarta as the newly elected Chairman of the Coral Triangle Initiative Council of Ministers (CTICOM). He was received by Dr. Sudirman Saad, Chairman of the Interim Regional Secretariat; Dr. Suseno Sukoyono, Executive Chair of the Interim Regional Secretariat; and Dr. Gellwynn Jusuf, Secretary General of the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries.

On December 8, 2011, Shangri-La’s Tanjung Aru Resort and Spa launched its first-ever sustainable seafood awareness campaign in Sabah, Malaysia, supporting the CTI-CFF’s goals to promote the ecosystem approach to fisheries in the Coral Triangle. During the launch, the management of the 492-room resort committed to sourcing its seafood from sustainable suppliers through local fishermen organizations in the nearby Tun Mustapha Park. This initiative encourages local fishing communities to stop using destructive fishing practices and helps protect the marine ecosystem in the area.

The German Government is supporting the 3.5-million-hectare Savu Sea Marine National Park (MNP) in East Nusa Tenggara in line with the Indonesian government’s commitment to expand its marine conservation area to 20 million hectares by 2020 and to help achieve the goals of the Coral Triangle Initiative for Coral Reefs, Fisheries, and Food Security (CTI-CFF). German support is channeled through the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, and Nuclear Safety’s (BMU) International Climate Change Initiative.

A fishing company in Papua New Guinea has committed to promoting an ecosystem approach to fisheries management and reducing risks to threatened species, thereby supporting the goals of the CTI-CFF. On November 30, 2011, Fair Well Investment Limited, a longline tuna fishing company based in Port Moresby, signed a Memorandum of Agreement with the PNG National Fisheries Authority and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) to initiate a trial use of circle hooks in its longline tuna fleet.

Two studies conducted by the US CTI Support Program through the Coral Triangle Support Partnership, in collaboration with the WorldFish Center, highlight the need for extensive planning as a critical step toward ensuring long-term food security and sustainable livelihoods for the people of Timor-Leste and the Solomon Islands.

On December 8, 2011, Shangri-La’s Tanjung Aru Resort and Spa launched its first-ever sustainable seafood awareness campaign in Sabah, Malaysia, in collaboration with the Sabah government and USAID’s US Coral Triangle Initiative Support Program through WWF-Malaysia. During the launch, the management of the 492-room resort committed to sourcing its seafood from sustainable suppliers via local fishermen’s organizations in the nearby Tun Mustapha Park.

The Climate Adaptation Knowledge Exchange (CAKE) highlighted the Coral Triangle Initiative’s efforts to ensure climate change adaptation in the world’s most biodiverse marine environment by featuring the CTI Region-wide Early Action Plan for Climate Change Adaptation (CCA) in its December 2011 newsletter. CAKE (www.cakex.org) noted that the early action plan sets forth urgent and immediate actions needed across the Coral Triangle to build coastal community resilience to climate change.

The CTI-CFF Financial Resources Working Group (FRWG) held its inaugural meeting in Kuala Lumpur from 12 to 13 October 2011. Chaired by Indonesia, the group has been mandated by Senior Officials and Ministers to develop a financial resources strategy for Phase 1 of the CTI. Phase 1 has been characterized as the “investment phase,” focusing on short-term funding needs to get the CTI up and running. Phase 2 will be the “sustainable finance phase,” which considers longer-term funding needs and explores ways to generate funds sustainably.