Coral Triangle Countries Rally Donors to Expand CTI-CFF Support Base

 Ministers of Conservation, Environment, Fisheries, and Science from the six Coral Triangle countries rallied donors to infuse fresh technical and financial support to protect the world’s richest marine biodiversity area during the first Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI) High Level Financial Roundtable held in Manila on May 3, 2012. The roundtable was organized as a side event of the 45th Annual Board of Governors’ Meeting of the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

Datuk Seri Panglima Dr. Maximus Ongkili, Chair of the CTI Council of Ministers, thanked partners for their support and urged prospective funders and representatives from the private sector and finance ministries to expand the support base for the CTI. “You will also be the beneficiary of efforts to conserve the Coral Triangle marine as the initiatives do not only involve sustainability programs but also climate change adaptation,” said Ongkili, who is also Malaysia’s Science, Technology, and Innovation Minister.

 Stephen Groff, ADB Vice President for Operations, called the roundtable “an important first step” for the Coral Triangle Initiative. He challenged the ministers from Malaysia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Solomon Islands, and Timor-Leste to strengthen links with their respective finance ministries to increase funding for key CTI projects. “What we need to do is demonstrate very effectively why this is an area that should be prioritized. We need to prioritize and look at the things that can be financed domestically and externally through the private sector or donors,” said Groff.

Groff noted that donor resources have steadily declined and are unlikely to grow in the near future given the state of the global economy. “Donors are looking for results, and CTI should demonstrate that it has on-the-ground results.” He encouraged ministers to work together to leverage resources, opportunities, and partnerships, and to involve the private sector in the CTI. In response, several Coral Triangle countries have already committed counterpart government funds for key projects proposed by their National Coordinating Committees.

 Beyond the high-level meetings, Coral Triangle countries presented their financial priority needs at the CTI Marketplace’s networking session. The priorities, drawn from each country’s CTI National Plan of Action, were developed through a series of sustainable finance workshops over the past year. (Click here to download the financial priority documents)

“Projects should be strategic and meaningful to the lives of ordinary people,” said Solomon Islands Minister of Environment, Conservation, and Meteorology John Moffat Fugui. “It is important to see that these priorities are realized from the ground and are community-based.”

The Marketplace fostered a spirit of collaboration among the six countries as they shared plans and strategies to achieve their goals. National Coordinating Committees took the opportunity to build relationships with both new and existing partners.

 Donors, such as USAID, expressed satisfaction with the outcome of the roundtable and marketplace. Juniper Neil of the USAID Regional Development Mission for Asia affirmed continued support and encouraged countries to communicate their in-country needs through the Secretariat. “If there are additional things you need assistance with, please let our partners know from the ground so we can make it happen,” she said.

The roundtable was co-hosted by ADB and organized by the Regional Cooperation on Knowledge Management, Policy, and Institutional Support to the Coral Triangle Initiative.

Captions:

(Upper Right) Delegates to the CTI High Level Financial Roundtable gather before formal presentations from the CTI Council of Ministers Chair.

(Lower Right) ADB Vice President Stephen Groff, CTI Council of Ministers Chairman Dr. Maximus Ongkili, and Philippine Finance Under Secretary Gil Beltran.

(Upper Left) Representatives of the Timor-Leste CTI National Coordinating Committee present their priority projects and funding requirements at the CTI Marketplace.

(Lower Left) CTI Regional Secretariat booth at the CTI Marketplace.

Photo Credits: ADB KM 4 CTI Project.

For more photos of the high-level meeting, follow this link.