Press Release: Climate Change Adaptation Working Group Thrash Out Progress and Challenges on its 5th Year of Regional Exchange

# The activity brought together technical officers and experts on climate change, environment, forestry, and marine and fisheries research from government agencies and academic institutions in Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, and Solomon Islands. 
# During the activity, participants developed a draft proposal to support national and regional CCA programs of Coral Triangle member countries and drafted the Guidelines for establishing the Center of Excellence (COE) in the CT Region. The group also agreed to finalize an executive course on CCA based on the LEAP and REAP frameworks for local governments in upcoming meetings. 
# The Regional Exchange (REX) program was organized by the CTI CCA Working Group in collaboration with University Malaysia Sabah and supported by the CTI-CFF Regional Secretariat. The Government of Malaysia, through its National CTI-CFF Coordinating Committee (NCCC), hosted the event.

SABAH, Malaysia – 18 May 2018 – The CCA Working Group revisited and assessed the status of implementing priority and collaborative actions outlined in the REAP-CCA. The group identified financial support and technical guidance as the greatest challenges to implementing early actions.

The activity gathered technical officers and experts on climate change, environment, forestry, and marine and fisheries research from government agencies and academic institutions across Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, and Solomon Islands.

Participants produced a draft proposal to support national and regional CCA programs of Coral Triangle (CT) member countries, with the aim of securing potential funding from European agencies. During the 2-day grant-writing workshop, the group also drafted Guidelines for establishing a Center of Excellence (COE) in the CT Region. Since creating a regional COE would be costly and challenging, the guidelines serve as a reference for member countries in establishing their respective COEs on CCA.

The group agreed that future meetings would finalize the development of an executive course on CCA based on the LEAP and REAP frameworks. This course is intended to build the capacity of local government officials to make coastal communities more resilient to climate change, as local governments have authority over management, planning, and implementation in their areas.

The REX program was organized by the CTI CCA Working Group in collaboration with University Malaysia Sabah and supported by the CTI-CFF Regional Secretariat. The Government of Malaysia, through its National CTI-CFF Coordinating Committee (NCCC), hosted the event.

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See the gallery here: http://coraltriangleinitiative.org/content/gallery-climate-change-adaptation-working-group-thrash-out-progress-and-challenges-its-5th-y

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 preserve marine and coastal resources and focus on key issues such as food security, climate change, and marine biodiversity. Established during the 2009 Leaders’ Summit, CTI-CFF adopted the Regional Plan of Action (CTI RPOA) 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; and (5) improving the status of threatened marine species.

About Regional Secretariat

The CTI-CFF Regional Secretariat (RS) promotes regional cooperation, knowledge sharing, and learning among the six member countries of the Coral Triangle. The RS coordinates and monitors RPOA implementation, supports official meetings and events, and provides services in monitoring and evaluation, financial coordination, information management, and outreach. It also advises National Coordinating Committees (NCCs) on priorities, fosters networking among CTI Partners and donors, and serves as the communication hub for CTI-CFF objectives. The Secretariat is based in Manado, North Sulawesi, Indonesia.

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Media Contact:

• Janet Rosalie Anne H. Polita
• Communication & Information Manager, CTI-CFF Regional Secretariat
• www.coraltriangleinitiative.org
• jpolita@cticff.org