Leaders from six Coral Triangle nations—Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Solomon Islands, and Timor-Leste—met in Dili, Timor-Leste, for the 19th Senior Officials’ Meeting and 9th Ministerial Meeting of the Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries, and Food Security (CTI-CFF). They outlined ambitious 2025 conservation targets to address overfishing, climate change, and pollution threatening the region’s marine ecosystems and the livelihoods of more than 130 million coastal residents. CTC joined the week-long event from December 1st to the 6th, 2024, held at Timor Plaza Hotel in Dili Timor-Leste.  

Delegates reviewed national and regional achievements under the Regional Plan of Action 2.0 (2021–2030) and finalized an ambitious agenda for 2025. This includes advancing collaboration through large-scale area management, ensuring effective protection of ecologically important habitats, and reducing human impact on the marine ecosystem. All efforts aim to sustain livelihoods for both present and future generations. 

One of the significant highlights of the week-long event was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between CTI-CFF and the Coral Triangle Center (CTC). This partnership aims to enhance MPA management and implement a seascape approach through innovative capacity-building initiatives, community empowerment, and regional knowledge exchange. The MOU includes plans to improve training for marine resource managers, expand the effectiveness of MPAs, and bolster collaborative research efforts to sustain biodiversity and livelihoods.

As one of CTI-CFF’s long-term partners, CTC also expressed its appreciation for the opportunity to address the 2024 CTI-CFF Ministerial Meeting through a statement, reaffirming CTC’s commitment to advancing the goals of the CTI-CFF and its Regional Plan of Action. 

In the statement, the CTI-CFF Partners congratulated the leaders of the Regional Secretariat, led by its Executive Director Dr. Frank Keith Griffin from Papua New Guinea. They applauded the CT6 countries for their leadership in tackling critical challenges, including biodiversity loss, climate change, overfishing, and ocean pollution. The statement was read by CTC Executive Director Rili Djohani, on behalf of the 7 CTI Partners present during the event. 

For its part, CTC highlighted its long-standing partnership with the CTI-CFF and reaffirmed its dedication to supporting the six Coral Triangle countries. CTC is committed to conserving marine ecosystems, safeguarding biodiversity, and promoting sustainable fisheries and livelihoods. (suggestion: added livelihoods if appropriate?) Through its renewed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), CTC will enhance capacity-building initiatives, including training, workshops, and learning exchanges, and ensure inclusivity by prioritizing gender equality and youth engagement. CTC actively co-chairs the Women Leaders Forum and implements the CTI-CFF Capacity Building Roadmap to accelerate skills development.  It also supports sustainable financing mechanisms and fosters collaboration to establish effective marine protected areas (MPAs) and protect threatened species.

Other CTI-CFF partners, including GIZ SOMACORE, USAID, Conservation International, IUCN, and WCS, also reiterated their support for CTI-CFF’s mission and underscored the urgent need for broader collaboration, emphasizing the region’s critical role in sustaining global fisheries and biodiversity.