The Signing Ceremony of the Host Country Agreement between the Government of Indonesia and the CTI-CFF Regional Secretariat

Signing Ceremony of HCA betweeen Government of Indonesia and CTI-CFF Regional Secretariat

 Jakarta, Tuesday, 31 January 2023 - Located in the Directorate General of Coastal Area Management office of the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries Indonesia, a signing ceremony was conducted on the Host Country Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Indonesia, represented by the Ministry of Marine Affairs & Fisheries (MMAF), and the Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries, and Food Security (CTI-CFF) Regional Secretariat. The Host Country Agreement (HCA) signed today is an advancement of the previous HCA signed in 2015.

CTI-CFF is a multilateral partnership of six countries working together to sustain extraordinary marine and coastal resources by addressing crucial issues such as food security, climate change, and marine biodiversity. The CTI-CFF Regional Secretariat is located in Manado, it is mandated to promote regional cooperation, coordination, and facilitation to achieve the goals and objectives of the six Coral Triangle countries: Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, the Solomon Islands, and Timor Leste.

The Regional Secretariat also coordinates and monitors the progress in achieving the CTI-CFF Regional Plan of Action goals. includes: technical working groups, governance working groups, cross-cutting themes, technical program, and corporate services (e.g., organizational development, capacity development).

Dr. Mohd Kushairi bin Mohd Rajuddin, the Executive Director of the CTI-CFF Regional Secretariat, signed the agreement on behalf of the Regional Secretariat with Mr. Victor Gustaaf Manoppo, M.H., Director General of Marine Spatial Management of the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries of Indonesia. Mr. Acacio Gutterres, Chair of the Committee of Senior Officials of CTI-CFF, was also present at the signing ceremony.

In his remarks, Mr. Manoppo stated that the Indonesian government is proudly acknowledging the achievements made with the CTI-CFF. "We support the CTI-CFF and wish to improve the function of the Regional Secretariat to continue to facilitate and provide operational functions for it."

Dr. Kushairi emphasized in his remarks, "We have seen how the Regional Secretariat has developed towards becoming an efficient and effective central hub in the coordination and facilitation process for the implementation of the objectives and priorities of CTI-CFF."