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  • 27 Jun 2019

Bali, Indonesia, 19 June 2019 – At the Meeting of the Coordinating Body on the Seas of East Asia (COBSEA) Technical Working Group on Marine Litter, and at the COBSEA Intergovernmental Meeting in Bali, Indonesia, CTI-CFF Regional Secretariat participated and emphasized the renewed relevance of the CTI-CFF Regional Plan of Action (RPOA 2.0), which focuses on the resilience of the ocean and coastal communities.

Dr. Sharifah Nora Ibrahim, CTI-CFF Deputy Executive Director for Program Services, stated: “The UNEP COBSEA and CTI share a common purpose in good ocean governance, including aiming for improvement of social and economic livelihoods of coastal communities in the Coral Triangle area. The CTI-CFF would focus on its core competencies and comparative advantage by aligning more strategically with, among others, the COBSEA.”

In the first meeting of the Working Group on Marine Litter, Dr. Sharifah Nora guided the COBSEA WG by informing that CTI’s focus on ocean resilience would be on coral reefs, mangrove forests, mudflats, seagrass beds, and endangered species. The RPOA 2.0 will address cross-cutting and emerging themes such as marine litter and plastics. Negative impacts of marine debris on threatened species such as sea turtles, cetaceans, dugongs, and seabirds will also be addressed.

“CTI seeks to be one of the official regional COBSEA institutions, and we look forward to cooperating with UN Environment Nairobi, UNEP Regional Office Bangkok, COBSEA Member States, as well as ASEAN mechanisms and development partners on regional seas issues,” she added.

Issues such as food security and sustainable livelihoods are fundamental to the resilience of coastal communities and remain high priorities in the RPOA 2.0.

The COBSEA WG Meeting on Marine Litter and the COBSEA Intergovernmental Meeting were organized by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Coordinating Body on the Seas of East Asia (COBSEA), together with the Government of the Republic of Indonesia – the Ministry of Environment and Forestry.

CTI-CFF Regional Secretariat was represented by Dr. Sharifah Nora and Mr. Asa Silalahi.

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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 formally established during the Leaders’ Summit in 2009 with approval from the leaders of the CT6 countries. They adopted the CTI Regional Plan of Action (CTI RPOA), 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.
  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. It supports official meetings and events linked to the CTI-CFF process, including monitoring and evaluation, financial coordination, information management, and outreach. The RS also coordinates RPOA implementation and liaises with National Coordinating Committees (NCCs), advising the CTI-CSO on emerging opportunities and priorities. Additionally, the RS acts as a channel for communication, information sharing, and networking among the Parties, CTI Partners, and other organizations and donors in promoting CTI-CFF objectives. The RS is based in Manado, North Sulawesi, Indonesia.