Ministers of the six Coral Triangle Countries Adopt Agreement Establishing Permanent Secretariat

The Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries, and Food Security (CTI-CFF) entered a critical new phase on October 28, 2011 when ministers from the six Coral Triangle countries – Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste - officially adopted agreements on the establishment of the permanent Regional Secretariat of the Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security at the third CTI-CFF Ministerial Meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia. The six countries also endorsed other decisions such as the CTI-CFF Secretariat Transition Roadmap that includes among others: recruitment of Secretariat staff and initiation of collection of country contributions within the 12-month period. The countries also elected Malaysia as the Chair and the Independent States of Papua New Guinea as Vice Chair of the CTI-CFF Council of Ministers for the period of two years from November 20, 2011 to November 19, 2013. It also agreed to extend the mandate of the Jakarta-based CTI-CFF Interim Secretariat until the permanent secretariat becomes fully operational. The achievements mark a critical turning point for the CTI-CFF and are the culmination of significant effort by the six Coral Triangle countries and development partners such as the Asian Development Bank, the Government of Australia, Conservation International, World Wildlife Fund, The Nature Conservancy and the US Agency for International Development.