Regional Secretariat Operations Plan and Budget Approved for 2014

The CTI-CFF Council of Ministers (CTI COM), acting on the recommendation of the Committee of Senior Officials, has approved the 2014 Operations Plan and Budget of the soon-to-be established permanent Regional Secretariat of the CTI-CFF.

The approval came at the CTI COM’s fifth meeting in Manado, Indonesia on May 15, at the last phase of a multi-stage process that began with staff work and discussions at the level of the Coordination Mechanisms Working Group (CMWG). The CMWG deliberated and agreed on the final Plan and Budget on May 13, the first day of a week-long series of CTI-CFF-related activities at the World Coral Reef Conference held on May 14-17 in Manado.

An indicative plan and budget for 2015 has also been approved.

The 2014 Operations Plan focuses on the establishment of the institutional structures needed to set up the permanent Secretariat as a functioning entity with basic staffing, effective operating systems and secured finances to provide a platform for its future growth and effective discharge of functions.

The Plan specifies three priority areas of work, namely, (1) completion of the institutional framework for the Regional Secretariat; (2) establishment of the Regional Secretariat office and systems, and (3) maintenance of core Regional Secretariat functions.

Two important steps must be taken to complete the Secretariat’s institutional framework. The first step is for at least four countries to effect entry into force of the Secretariat Establishment Agreement by depositing their instruments of ratification with the Government of Indonesia as the Depository of the Agreement. Malaysia, Indonesia, Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste, which have confirmed their ratification of the Agreement, are expected to be the first CTI-CFF Member States to comply with this requirement.

The second step is for the Secretariat and the Government of Indonesia to finalize the Host Country Agreement and recruitment of the Executive Director.

The Secretariat will be based in Manado, Indonesia, at a facility called “CTI Centre” that the Indonesian Government built to serve as the CTI-CFF headquarters.

During its first year of operations, the Secretariat will be primarily responsible for establishing a financial management, information technology and administration system; fitting out the Secretariat building; arranging insurances; completing the handover of functions from the Interim Regional Secretariat (IRS); fully developing its 2015 Operations Plan and Budget; and mobilizing financial and other resources (including country contributions) for the implementation of the its 2015 Plan.

The IRS, which is based in the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries of Indonesia and funded by the Indonesian Government with support from Australia, the United States and the Asian Development Bank, has been providing the secretariat functions for the CTI-CFF, including coordinating the work of its various thematic and governance technical working groups.

As well as setting up the systems, the permanent Secretariat is tasked to take over from the IRS a number of core secretariat functions and maintain these. These functions include implementing the CTI regional roadmap; facilitating regional meetings, communication and representation; undertaking strategic planning, and liaising with CTI-CFF Partners and potential partners/supporters to mobilize support for the implementation of the CTI-CFF plans and actions.

The operating budget approved for 2014 is USD548,296, which includes an amount of USD158,850 that has been earmarked to ensure that the permanent Secretariat can operate from the date the Executive Director formally takes up his appointment, potentially on July 1, 2014.

Currently, the majority funding source for the 2014 Budget is the CTI-CFF Countries. Other funding sources include the CTI-CFF Partners and donors, and the Indonesian Government, as the host country, is also expected to provide additional contribution and support.