Stage Set for Establishment of Permanent CTI-CFF Regional Secretariat, Partners Pledge Continued Support

The CTI-CFF marked its 5th anniversary with a major milestone and received assurances of continued support from its Partners.

At the 5th CTI-CFF Ministerial Meeting (MM5) on May 15 – exactly five years since the Coral Triangle Leaders signed their “Declaration on Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security” that launched the CTI-CFF – Datuk Dr. Ewon Ebin, Malaysia’s Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation and outgoing Chair of the CTI-CFF Council of Ministers (CTI COM), announced that four countries had ratified the Agreement on the Establishment of the Regional Secretariat of CTI-CFF. This enables the final phase before the entry into force and the establishment of the permanent Secretariat. Timor-Leste and Solomon Islands confirmed that they had ratified the Agreement, becoming the third and fourth countries to do so.

Malaysia was the first to ratify in 2013, followed by Indonesia on March 11 of this year. As stated under Article 17, the Agreement “shall enter into force on the thirtieth day following the date of deposit with the Depository of instruments of acceptance or approval or ratification by at least four . . . members” of the CTI-CFF. The Indonesian Government is designated as the Depository.

The CTI-CFF Partners welcomed these developments. In a joint statement read by the Australian Ambassador to Indonesia, Mr. Greg Moriarty, Partners emphasized that the imminent establishment of the permanent Secretariat “positions all of us to more fully realize the value of working together.”

“One of the clear success factors of the CTI is that it was initiated with strong political commitment expressed by the leaders of each country. This has translated into substantial funding from the donor community and commitments on the part of all of us to work together to implement the goals of the Initiative. A great deal has been achieved as a result. We need to maintain this capacity of the CTI to attract funding support and translate that into actions and achievements. A strong Secretariat can help us do this,” the Partners’ statement said, adding, “The existing Partners remain committed to support you … We are fully committed to continuing our work with you to build the CTI into a strong and effective regional forum.”

Australia, the United States, and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) have been assisting the establishment of the Regional Secretariat and other institutional and governance arrangements critical to the long-term sustainability of the CTI-CFF. The Philippines and Papua New Guinea also confirmed their signing of the Agreement this year, an essential step toward ratification.

Signaling the ramp-up of preparations for the permanent Secretariat’s operations, MM5 approved a resolution from the 2nd Special Senior Officials Meeting (S-SOM2) authorizing the Interim Regional Secretariat (IRS) to establish administrative arrangements and financial management systems to facilitate the transition.

The IRS, based in Indonesia’s Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries and funded by the Indonesian Government with Partner support, has been providing secretariat functions for the CTI-CFF, including coordinating work across thematic and governance technical working groups. MM5 also approved an operations plan and budget addressing the handover from interim to permanent Secretariat and the start-up needs of the permanent Secretariat.

Dr. Ewon was joined at MM5 by:

• Indonesia’s Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, Mr. Sharif C. Sutardjo;
• PNG’s Environment, Conservation and Climate Change Department Secretary, Mr. Gunther Joku, representing Minister John Pundari;
• Philippines’ Undersecretary for Policy and Planning and Foreign-Assisted Projects of the DENR, Mr. Manuel Gerochi, representing Secretary Ramon Paje;
• Solomon Islands’ Minister of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology, Mr. Bradley Tovosia;
• Timor-Leste’s Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Mr. Mariano Assanami Sabino;
• Brunei Darussalam’s Industry and Primary Resources Minister, Mr. Pehin Dato Yahya Bakar, attending as Observer State applicant.

Ambassador Moriarty represented the CTI-CFF Partners, along with:

• Mr. Alfred Nakatsuma, U.S. Agency for International Development Regional Development Mission for Asia;
• Ms. Nicole Glineur, Global Environment Facility;
• Mr. Adrian Ruthenberg, Asian Development Bank.