Announcement: CTI CFF RPOA Review has begun

ANNOUNCEMENT

Manado, Indonesia 9 May 2019. The long awaited review of the Regional Plan of Action (RPOA) which is the guiding framework for the CTI-CFF has begun. The Review outputs will serve as precursors to the revision of the RPOA in 2020.

Preparation for the review of the RPOA started last year following the decision of the 13th Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) in November 2017. An RPOA Review Committee was formed after a series of meetings and discussion by the Monitoring and Evaluation Working Group (MEWG). The Committee is chaired by the Monitoring and Evaluation Working Group (MEWG) Chair with members from the Regional Secretariat and development partners; i.e. the Australian Government, USAID Regional Development Mission for Asia (RDMA), Asian Development Bank (ADB), The Nature Conservancy (TNC), World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS).

Dr. Lida Pet-Soede, leader of the Marine Unit of PT Hatfield Indonesia, has been appointed by the Committee to serve as the lead consultant while Dr. Sharifah Nora, Deputy Executive Director of CTI-CFF Regional Secretariat, is the assigned Review Manager.

Since the RPOA was first endorsed in 2009, much has changed in the prevailing social and ecological conditions in the CTI region. Populations have increased and the marine resources and ecosystems critical to healthy and secure communities and economic well-being have come under increasing pressures from growing demand, over-exploitation and ineffective management. In the same period, the efforts by member countries and the CTI-CFF development partners to implement the RPOA have led to a wide range of accomplishments and have generated new information, lessons and approaches, which have helped to improve the overall ocean governance in the CTI region.

These factors, together with changing institutional capacity and structures, has improved understanding of the sustainable marine resource management and biodiversity conservation issues common to all six countries and an increasing awareness of the regional and national benefits of collective action, have prompted the Review.

The Review has three primary purposes:

1. to provide an evidence-based assessment of the influence and effectiveness of the RPOA as the guiding framework for the CTI-CFF and its current utility as a framework for meeting the priorities and needs of the member governments, development partners and local stakeholders at the regional, sub-regional and national levels;
2. to promote institutional and operational improvements, learning and knowledge sharing and improved communication and partnerships between the CTI member countries, development partners, collaborators and other key stakeholders; and
3. to provide the CTI - CFF members and stakeholders with guidance on how the RPOA might be reshaped or revised in 2020 to build on the accomplishments of the past 9 years. Further, to take strategic advantage of any new regional and global drivers which have or are emerging and which might generate a positive influence and impact on the future achievement of CTI - CFF Goals.

Dr. Lida Pet-Soede will soon carry out consultations with a number of stakeholders. All cooperation from CTI-CFF stakeholders on the RPOA Review process is therefore greatly appreciated.

The Inception Report is expected to be ready in June 2018 with the Final Report to be submitted to the RPOA Review Committee in August 2018 for presentation and endorsement by the CTI-CFF Council of Senior Officers and approval of the Council of Ministers at the upcoming 14th Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM-14) and the Seventh Ministerial Meeting (MM-7) in Manila, Philippines scheduled for November 2018.

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For more information,please contact the RPOA Review Manager, Dr. Sharifah Nora nora@cticff.org and cc to regional.secretariat@cticff.org

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Appendix

SOM 13 Decision

9.3. Monitoring and Evaluation Working Group (MEWG) (Annex 9.3)

9.3.1. Acknowledged the Capacity Needs Assessment Report (CNA Report) presentation by GIZ and recommended CTI-CFF to build on the findings and recommendations in moving forward with the review of the RPOA

9.3.8. Tasked the Regional Secretariat to work with M&E Chair and partners to develop the TOR for the RPOA Review, with the approval of MEWG Chair by end of January 2018;

9.3.12. Approved the Review of RPOA 2018 workplan.