Twenty women leaders from the Coral Triangle region (Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Timor-Leste) gathered at CTC’s Center for Marine Conservation on September 23-26, 2019 to learn how to strengthen the leadership skills and competencies of other women in managing marine and coastal resources.

This workshop was specifically designed to develop a customized leadership competency model with a portfolio of practical skills that women can use for their career development and program implementation. The competency model focused on five core competencies: negotiation and influence, communication, conflict management, organizational management, and partnership and networking.

The leadership competency model is envisioned to harness the skills of coastal and marine management professionals who are capable and empowered to lead initiatives that create a positive impact in the Coral Triangle’s unique marine environments. The participants represented non-government organizations, government agencies, and universities across the region, all of whom are working on a range of marine, fisheries, and coastal environmental issues and programs.

“I would like to use these competencies that are developed in my organization for effective management and for a successful team outcome,” said one of the workshop participants.

The workshop is part of the Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security (CTI-CFF) Women Leaders Forum, and was organized by CTC in collaboration with USAID, US Department of the Interior, and the CTI-CFF Regional Secretariat.

“Developing competencies was a real challenge for us as women to think and be specific on what we need. What I learned is that I’m able to translate these competencies into my organization and my team. I find all these tools useful to me. It helps me to be out there, to ensure my voice is heard and influences the community. These tools will help me and it is adaptable to any leader, not only women,” said another participant.

This leadership competency model supports the implementation of the CTI-CFF Regional Plan of Action and the UN Sustainable Development Goal #5, to achieve gender equality and empower women and girls, and Goal #14, to protect life below water.

Through this program, we hope to support Coral Triangle countries in achieving their marine conservation and sustainability goals, and continue our strong working relationship with the CTI-CFF Regional Secretariat, as well as the CTI-CFF National Coordinating Committees, and CTI-CFF development partners.