Coral Triangle Initiative Set To Have Permanent Regional Secretariat

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 27 (Bernama)-- The Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI) formed to protect one of the most diverse marine areas in the world, is set to have a Permanent Regional Secretariat following the conclusion of the fourth CTI Ministerial Meeting here on Monday. The CTI members are Malaysia, Indonesia, the Solomon Islands, Timor Leste, Papua New Guinea and the Philippines. Malaysia hosted the Ministerial meeting and together with Timor Leste and the Solomon Islands signed an agreement that gives consensus to the setting up of the permanent secretariat in Manado, Indonesia. Indonesia was the first to sign the agreement in October last year, said the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) in a statement on Tuesday. The CTI protocol requires at least four of the six member countries to sign the agreement to formalise institutional arrangements for the setting up of the Permanent Regional Secretariat. MOSTI Minister Dr Maximus Ongkili, the current chair of the CTI Council of Ministers said :"The ratification of the agreement is just a first step towards the realisation of the CTI Permanent Regional Secretariat. "Many other important arrangements such as the financial architecture and coordination, and communication mechanisms need to be put in place to enable the Regional Plan of Action to be implemented effectively." The CTI members also inked the Putrajaya Joint Ministerial Statement which outlined the progress and achievements to date and the way forward for the body. A main reason for the formation of the CTI is to address urgent threats facing the Coral Triangle, namely the threat of extinction to coral reefs due to carbon emission. Ongkili said Malaysia was keen to promote a Blue Economy or blue carbon approach that uses carbon accounting to quantify ecosystem service value. "The Tun Mustapa Park in Sabah is targeted to be declared a new marine conservation area by 2015. "It will serve as a pilot project for our Blue Carbon approach that integrates environmental conservation and restoration with climate change adaptation and sustainability," he added. --BERNAMA