A Message of The CTI-CFF Regional Secretariat Towards Fruitful of 2016

The Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries, and Food Security (CTI-CFF) is a multilateral partnership between the governments of Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Solomon Islands, and Timor-Leste (the “CT6”). The partnership aims to sustain extraordinary marine and coastal resources by addressing crucial issues such as food security, climate change, and marine biodiversity. The CTI-CFF was officially established along with its Secretariat during the Summit of Heads of States of the CT6 in 2009, as stated in the "CTI Leader's Declaration".

Since its establishment, the CTI-CFF has been initially operated by an Interim Regional Secretariat based in the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries in Jakarta, Indonesia. At the early stage, the Interim Regional Secretariat was administered by the Directorate General for Marine, Coasts, and Small Islands through a Transition Team, as well as by the Secretariat Coordinator and Technical Working Group Coordinator, prior to the appointment of the CTI-CFF Executive Director.

Over time, the CTI-CFF has made substantial progress in a number of areas. This organizational development is reflected in the formal establishment of the Permanent Regional Secretariat, following the first appointment of the Executive Director on 1 April 2015. The Secretariat serves as the central coordinating mechanism for all CTI-CFF activities. It is mandated to promote regional cooperation, share lessons, and facilitate learning across the six Coral Triangle countries. The Regional Secretariat also coordinates and monitors the progress in achieving the CTI-CFF Regional Plan of Action (RPOA) goals.

In 2015, the Regional Secretariat achieved progress in several areas, including signing Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC), Coral Triangle Center (CTC), and the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP). The Executive Director also conducted working visits to potential partner institutions, including the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB), GIZ, International Climate Initiative (ICI/IKI), Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), KfW, and other development agencies in Bonn, Germany, to explore technical support for Climate Change Adaptation (CCA) priority actions. Courtesy meetings were also held with the Director General of Climate Change and Director General of International Cooperation and Development from the European Commission in Brussels, Belgium.

Another milestone in 2015 was the discussion on including Brunei Darussalam as a new member state during the 11th Senior Officials Meeting held on 2–3 December in Manado, Indonesia. The meeting endorsed Brunei Darussalam as a new member, pending the submission of the Head of State’s adoption of the CTI Leaders’ Declaration and the Instrument of Accession to the Agreement on the Establishment of the CTI-CFF Regional Secretariat. Additionally, the Regional Secretariat finalized and signed the Host Country Agreement with the Indonesian Government on 1 December 2015, confirming Indonesia as the host country for the Secretariat.

2015 marked a significant year for CTI-CFF and its Regional Secretariat, laying the groundwork for further activities. It is hoped that in 2016 the Secretariat will foster more fruitful collaborations, including continued engagement with CTI-CFF Development Partners.

The Regional Secretariat expresses its sincere gratitude to the Council of Ministers, Senior Officials, Development Partners, and CTI-CFF counterparts for their ongoing support in achieving CTI-CFF goals as outlined in the RPOA. Looking forward, the Secretariat anticipates a productive 2016, including the relocation of its office from a temporary base in Jakarta to the permanent headquarters in Manado.

The Initiative has tremendous potential across various fields. The CTI-CFF community is encouraged to devise strategies to fully utilize this potential, advance cooperation, and make meaningful contributions to conservation and sustainable management of marine and coastal resources in the CTI-CFF Member States.

Finally, it is crucial for the Initiative to develop a long-term mechanism for sustainable regional cooperation in coral and marine affairs. This remains a significant challenge for the CTI-CFF community.