Major Steps Achieved Toward Establishment of Permanent CTI-CFF Regional Secretariat

Three CTI-CFF countries took significant steps this month toward ratification of the Agreement establishing the permanent CTI-CFF Regional Secretariat.

Most recently, on March 25, Dr. Sudirman Saad, Executive Director of Indonesia’s CTI-CFF National Coordination Committee (NCC-Indonesia), issued an official announcement of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s signing of a decree constituting Indonesia’s instrument of ratification of the Agreement. The March 11 signing cemented President Yudhoyono’s legacy as an early champion of the CTI-CFF. In a 2007 letter to other leaders, he proposed a new multilateral initiative to address the alarming decline of marine resources in the Coral Triangle, opening multilateral talks that led to the formation of CTI-CFF.

The month began on a high note as the Philippines signified formal support for the establishment of the Regional Secretariat. Philippine Environment Secretary Ramon J.P. Paje affixed his signature to the Agreement document on March 4. The document was personally presented to Secretary Paje by a delegation from the CTI-CFF Interim Regional Secretariat (IRS) led by its Chair, Prof. Sjarief Widjaja, Ph.D. FRINA, who traveled to Manila especially for the signing.

The visit also provided an opportunity for a productive meeting with members of NCC-Philippines, who pledged continued efforts to achieve ratification. Philippine law requires at least presidential ratification and may further require Senate concurrence.

On March 19, a joint Indonesian delegation from the IRS, Indonesia’s Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (MMAF) Fisheries Human Resources Development Agency, and the Coral Triangle Center visited Timor-Leste for consultations on the ratification process. This was the second such Indonesian mission since February and followed an MMAF offer to provide needs-based training and other capacity-building assistance to Timor-Leste under the CTI-CFF multilateral cooperation framework.

MMAF’s Dr. Suseno Sukoyono and IRS Coordinator Arwandrija Rukma met with Timor-Leste’s Agriculture and Fisheries Minister Mariano Assanami Sabino and Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Minister Constancio Da Conceição Pinto to discuss ways the IRS could facilitate ratification. As a result, NCC-Timor Leste, assisted by Conservation International, is translating the 45-page Agreement from English to Portuguese to support the Council of Ministers’ deliberations and accelerate the ratification process. Council approval is required for ratification.

Ratification by at least four of the six CTI-CFF member countries is needed for the Agreement to enter into force.

The CTI-CFF Regional Secretariat will be headquartered in Manado, North Sulawesi, Indonesia, in a building constructed by the Indonesian Government specifically for this purpose.