10
July 2008
The 13th of February 2004 marks
a significant event for Indonesia,
Malaysia and the Philippines. The
date marks the signing of the
Memorandum of Understanding
(MOU) between the three countries
on the adoption of the Ecoregion
Conservation Plan (ECP) for the Sulu-
Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion (SSME).
The signing of the MOU led to
the creation of the Tri-National
Committee on the SSME, composed
of representatives of the designated
national authorities of all three
countries, which facilitates
conservation efforts. The Committee
serves as a forum to coordinate
and harmonize the implementation
of the ECP and likewise reviews,
updates and revises the ECP when
necessary. The Committee also
initiates, maintains and provides the
mechanisms for consultation between
the parties on the development and
the implementation of conservation
initiatives outside the scope of the
ECP.
The First Meeting of the Tri-National
Committee elected a Chair with
tenure of one year, after which
subsequent Chairs are automatically
designated on a rotational basis
in alphabetical order: Indonesia,
Malaysia, Philippines, with a tenure
of two years. The Chair oversees all
aspects of the work programs of the
Committee and the Subcommittees.
The Tri-National Committee is
composed of a maximum of five
members from each country.
However, the host country is allowed
one additional delegate. The heads
of the delegations of the respective
countries are senior officials.
The Secretariat of the Tri-National
Committee is also rotated with the
Chairmanship. The incumbent Chair
and the incoming Chair ensure the
smooth transition of the Secretariat’s
work.
The first meeting of the Tri-National
Committee was convened in
Balikpapan, Indonesia, in 2006.
During the Meeting, the Committee
Tri-National Governance of
the Sulu-Sulawesi Marine
Ecoregion
By Sulu-Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion Tri-National Secretariat in Malaysia (Department of Fisheries-Sabah)
Jüer
gen F
reund
11
Tropical Coasts
formed three (3) subcommittees and
the Task Group on the Directory of
Experts. The three subcommittees
were: the Subcommittee on
Threatened, Charismatic and
Migratory Species; the Subcommittee
on Sustainable Fisheries; and the
Subcommittee on Marine Protected
Areas and Networks.
It was agreed that each country shall
lead one subcommittee for a two-year
period. The Republic of Indonesia
holds the position as the focal point
of the Subcommittee on Threatened,
Charismatic and Migratory Species,
while the Malaysian and Philippine
governments lead the Subcommittee
on Sustainable Fisheries and the
Subcommittee on Marine Protected
Areas and Networks, respectively. All
subcommittees are represented by
members from all three countries.
Every year, the Tri-National
Committee convenes and discusses
the achievements, progress and
lessons learned from the work
programs of each Subcommittee and
Task Group. All activities reflect and
address the ECP as well as the Terms
of Reference (TOR) and work plans of
each Subcommittee.
At the recent Tri-National Committee
Meeting in Manila, Philippines, on
14 June 2008, work progress and
gaps were discussed and identified.
Among the issues raised was the
need for strengthening marine and
coastal resources management
programs, including improvements in
conservation management through
capacity building of stakeholders, and
the development
of regulations to effectively
implement, raise awareness and
strengthen enforcement. Such
initiatives are designed to beef
up efforts in addressing illegal,
unregulated and unreported (IUU)
fishing activities.
The Subcommittee spearheading
marine protected areas (MPA)
conservation recommended
coordination of activities and studies
with the other subcommittees, e.g.,
collaborative fisheries management
for shared stocks as well as species
protection and control of flagship
species. This may involve in-depth
studies of fisheries as well as
sustainable aquaculture resulting in
the development of guidelines for
more efficient and effective resource
management in the region.
The same meeting also unanimously
agreed on the establishment
and maintenance of lines of
communication as well as the
promotion of collaboration with other
relevant regional initiatives such as
the Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia,
Malaysia, the Philippines-East
ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA),
Bismarck-Solomon Seas Ecoregion
(BSSE), Melanesian Spearhead Group
(MSG), Arafura-Timor Seas Experts
Forum (ATSEF), and the Coral Triangle
Initiative (CTI). Parallel to this, a
resolution calling for a clarification
between the Sulu-Sulawesi Marine
Ecoregion (SSME) Tri-National
Committee and the CTI secretariat for
programmatic consolidation was
signed. It was noted that the First
Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM 1)
for the CTI, held in Bali, Indonesia,
last December 2007, declared
that programs and projects to be
implemented under the six-country
initiative should be based and built
on existing and relevant forums,
agreements and programs. This
was articulated in the following
Guiding Principles: that CTI should
use existing and future forums to
promote implementation; that CTI
should be aligned with international
and regional commitments; and
that CTI should emphasize priority
geographies.
Jüergen
Freund