Joseph Sipalan The Star 26 Nov 12;
PUTRAJAYA: Plans are in place for Malaysia and five other countries to share their data on maritime movement under the Coral Triangle Initiative-Coral Reefs Fisheries and Food Security (CTI-CFF) to keep tabs on overfishing.
Science,Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Seri Maximus J Ongkili, who currently chairs the initiative, said Monday that top representatives from each of the six CTI-CFF member countries acknowledged the need to share information to tackle issues such as encroachment by foreign fishing vessels.
“I must stress that in terms of databases and monitoring (maritime movement), this not only involves governments but also the private sector and the people on the ground.
“With such cooperation, we can capture each ship passing through the area in real time using satellites. We are already doing that with Indonesia in the Straits of Malacca,” he said after the 8th CTI-CFF Senior Officials Meeting and 4th Ministerial Meeting that ended Monday.
Aside from Malaysia, which currently holds the CTI-CFF chairmanship from 2011 to 2013, other member countries include Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Timor-Leste and the Solomon Islands.
Coral triangle nations plan regional office
New Straits Times 27 Nov 12;
KUALA LUMPUR: The fourth ministerial meeting of the Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security (CTI-CFF), which started on Nov 22 and ended yesterday, pledged to deliver new and innovative ideas, tools, modalities and recommendations in addressing issues facing the region.
These would include strategies on CTI-CFF's sustainable financing and communication, criteria development for admission of new partners and a transitional and operational plan for the regional secretariat.
The CTI-CFF group comprises Malaysia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Timor Leste and Solomon Islands.
Its Council of Ministers (CTI-COM) is chaired by Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Seri Maximus Ongkili.
In a statement yesterday, the ministry said the ministerial meeting was held together with the 8th CTI-CFF senior officials meeting.
The ministry also said a declaration, known as the Putrajaya CTI Joint-Ministerial Statement 2012, would be the key document guiding the CTI-CFF towards realising its objectives and aspirations.
The CTI-CFF meeting, among others, reaffirmed the commitment of member countries to agree to the establishment of a permanent regional secretariat.
The CTI-CFF was formed to address critical threats to coastal and marine resources in one of the most biologically diverse and ecologically rich regions on earth, with the greatest extent of mangrove forests in the world.
The CTI-CFF complements the objectives of the Millennium Development Goals, particularly on environmental sustainability, and reaffirmed the principles of sustainable development adopted at the Rio Earth Summit. Bernama
