INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY 2022

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY 2022

A note from the Executive Director of CTI-CFF Regional Secretariat on the occasionof the International Women’s Day 8 March 2022:

Celebrating Women Empowerment in Sustainable Fisheries and Marine Conservation

The Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries, and Food Security (CTI-CFF)through the Regional Secretariat joins all nations in celebrating the InternationalWomen’s Day 2022.

In the Coral Triangle (CT) region where the majority of fisheries are small-scale,communities are highly dependent on marine resources, women contribute throughpost-harvest activities, such as processing, trade, distribution and more importantly,ensuring food security for their families and communities.

In the CT region, women leaders also have emerged and continue to grow andcontribute to sustainable fisheries and marine conservation in the areas of research,public administration, advocacy related to sustainability and communitydevelopment.

CTI-CFF believes that women play a major involvement in the management of ourmarine and coastal ecosystems’ resources. CTI-CFF through the Women Leaders’Forum (WLF), has significantly built capacity and raise awareness among women toassist in addressing the challenges of marine conservation and in introducingsustainable development practices in communities.

Through the WLF, CTI-CFF has developed a draft of Gender Equality and SocialInclusion (GESI) Policy to provide direction for promoting and mainstreaming GESI in all activities in the CT6 member countries, strategic partners and the RegionalSecretariat.

The GESI Policy approved by the member countries in the CTI-CFF 16 th Senior Officer Meeting (SOM) in December 2021, is intended to address the current gender in equalities, reduce disparities and ensure equal opportunities, rights and respect forall individuals regardless of their gender and social identity in CTI-CFF areas. The member countries further agreed to the inclusion of GESI policy to interventions of programs implemented by CTI-CFF.

Strategic partners extended their contributions in CTI-CFF activities, supporting WLF and GESI implementation. CTI-CFF is also partnering with USAID SUFIA RTI through the Local Capacity Development Activity, where part of the activitiesincludes capacity building on GESI and other CTI-CFF Projects.

Looking forward, CTI-CFF resolute in ensuring gender equality and social inclusion remains strong and practiced in all aspects of CTI-CFF endeavours and initiatives despite many challenges brought by COVID-19 in the past two years. We believed that these will improve livelihoods and social security and contribute to higher economic productivity and more efficient governance of marine resources.

We at CTI-CFF will continue to build a sustainable path for women to tread, to contribute and to be full beneficiaries of the progress and development in their respective countries.

We must keep the momentum and continue building sustainable routes for women tonurture, contribute and be full beneficiaries on the progress and development of our marine natural resources.

DR. MOHD. KUSHAIRI MOHD. RAJUDDIN

 Executive Director of CTI-CFF Regional Secretariat