CTI Ministerial Consensus Reached to Locate Regional

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BANGKOK 003033 SIPDIS SECSTATE PLEASE PASS TO EAP/RPP FOR AWYCKOFF, WBEHN, SGARRET SECSTATE FOR EAP/MTS/MLS FOR DESKOFFS SECSTATE FOR EAP, OES AID FOR ANE, EGAT DEPT OF COMMERCE FOR NOAA DILI FOR USAID MANILA FOR USAID JAKARTA FOR USAID BEIJING FOR USAID TOKYO FOR USAID E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: SENV EAID AORC EFIS KGHG IN TH SUBJECT: CTI Ministerial Consensus Reached to Locate Regional Secretariat in Indonesia BANGKOK 00003033 001.2 OF 002 ¶1. SUMMARY: At the 2nd Ministerial Meeting held in Gizo, Solomon Islands on November 19, 2009, Ministers from the six countries of the Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security (CTI-CFF) unanimously agreed to locate the Permanent Regional Secretariat in Indonesia. Other major decisions agreed to by the Ministers include 1) approval of the structure and functions of the Permanent Regional Secretariat, 2) selection of Indonesia to serve as Chair and the Solomon Islands to serve as Deputy Chair of the CTI Council of Ministers, and 3) adoption of a Joint Communiqu on Climate Change to be presented at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Copenhagen in December ¶2009. END SUMMARY The Coral Triangle Initiative ¶2. The "Coral Triangle" includes the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, and Papua New Guinea. This 5.7 million square km area of ocean and islands has the highest marine biodiversity on earth. It provides livelihoods for 240 million people and food for many more. The area is threatened by over- and destructive fishing, land- and sea-based pollution, and the impacts of climate change. The Leaders of the six Coral Triangle countries launched the CTI and endorsed the implementation of the CTI Regional Plan of Action (RPOA) at the May 2009 CTI Summit in Manado, Indonesia. The Coral Triangle countries have made steady progress finalizing their respective CTI National Plans of Action (NPOA) and mobilizing National CTI Coordination Committees (NCCs). ¶3. The US CTI Support Program builds on over a decade of U.S. investment in coastal resource management, fisheries and marine-protected area work in the region. The US CTI Support Program is implemented by a consortium of NGOs (World Wildlife Fund, Conservation International and The Nature Conservancy),NOAA, and a USAID Program Integrator contractor. The USAID Regional Development Mission for Asia (RDMA) provides overall management of the program, in coordination with U.S. Embassies and other USAID missions in the Philippines, Indonesia, and Timor Leste, and the U.S. State Department. Major Decisions from the Second Ministerial Meeting (MM2) ¶4. Ministers from the six nations of the CTI-CFF met in Gizo, Solomon Islands on November 19, 2009 to review and approve the recommendations from the Senior Officials Meetings previously held in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia (REF 2777) and Honiara, Solomon Islands. The agreements reaffirmed the CTI-CFF governments' commitment to effectively preserve and sustainably manage the world's epicenter of marine biodiversity. The major agreements described in the Joint Ministerial Statement from the 2nd Ministerial Meeting in Gizo are as follows ¶5. The Permanent Secretariat in Indonesia. The Ministers unanimously agreed to locate the Permanent Regional Secretariat in Indonesia. While hosted by the Indonesia Government, the Secretariat will remain an independent body governed by the six Coral Triangle nations under the direction of the CTI-CFF Senior Officials. Indonesia's Minister for Marine Affairs and Fisheries Honorable Dr. Fadel Muhammad reiterated his government's commitment to host the Secretariat and provide the physical infrastructure and office support services. He also indicated that the office would be located in either Bali or Jakarta, and that construction of the facility will commence in January 2011 after the approval of Indonesia's Office of the President. The CTI implementation is one of the first 100-day deliverables of the newly re-elected President of Indonesia Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. ¶6. Structure of the Secretariat. The Secretariat will be headed by an Executive Director supported by a Deputy Director for Corporate Services and a Deputy Director for Programs. The Corporate Services BANGKOK 00003033 002.2 OF 002 Unit will be responsible for finance, administration and coordination. The Programs Unit will be responsible for program implementation, coordination, communications and knowledge services. All positions will be recruited based on merit and will only include citizens from the CT6 member countries. Country funding contributions to support the Secretariat will be determined by the ministers in the governing document (i.e. Charter or Memorandum of Understanding) authorizing the creation of the Secretariat. ¶7. Appointment of Chairman of CTI Council of Ministers. The Ministers selected Indonesia to serve as Chair and for the Solomon Islands to serve as Deputy Chair of the CTI Council of Ministers. The CTI Council of Ministers creates and aligns policies and governs implementation of the CTI Regional Plan of Action. Terms will be for two years, rotating in alphabetical order. ¶8. Joint Communiqu on Climate Change. The Ministers agreed to present a unified position on Climate Change at the December 14 "Ocean Day Event" in Copenhagen. The communiqu affirms that the oceans play a critical role in the lives of 240 million people in the Coral Triangle, emphasizing that impacts of climate change have already severely threatened the marine, coastal and small islands ecosystems of the six countries. ¶9. The Joint Communiqu also requests the inclusion of a marine element into the negotiation text of the UNFCCC which urges the leaders of all nations to recognize and address the threats to the marine environment, particularly on coral reefs, fisheries and food security. It affirms the CTI countries' commitment to address climate change adaptation programs as stated in the CTI-CFF RPOA adopted by the CT6 Leaders in Manado, and calls for increased funding support from the global community. It closes with a reminder that while the CT6 leaders are committed to leading their people in building natural, social and economic resilience, these efforts would be futile unless sufficient mitigation measures are put into effect to reduce greenhouse gas emissions below 1990 levels by ¶2020. ¶10. Next Steps. The Ministers in closing agreed on the following actions 1) Immediately begin the CTI Regional Secretariat transition process including the drafting of legal documents to be led by the host government Indonesia 2) Hold a regional planning program workshop in April 2010 to define CTI-CFF regional priorities and implementation workplans 3) Hold follow-up meetings of the Working Groups for Financial Resources and Monitoring and Evaluation in June and July 2010, respectively and 4) Hold the 6th Senior Officials Meeting and 3rd Ministerial Meeting, tentatively scheduled in August 2010, to agree on collaborative actions and sign the charter establishing the Regional Secretariat JOHN