Enhancing the Role of Civil Society Organisations in Southeast Asia in Marine Resource Management, Maritime Security and Policy Implementation
The project Enhancing the Role of Civil Society Organisations in Southeast Asia in Marine Resource Management, Maritime Security and Policy Implementation is part of Maritime Consultancy 2.0 Project, a four-year regional programme of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). The aim of the Project is to assist partner states in improving their maritime policies, frameworks, and capabilities in line with international law through enhanced collaboration between CSOs and government by: (i) capacity development and sharing, and (ii) establishing a Community of Practice (CoP) centered on the effective and sustainable management of marine and maritime resources.
Specific Objectives of the project were
Objective 1: Building the capacity for CSOs to engage with policy processes and partner with governments to strengthen maritime policies and local level implementation.
Objective 2: Establish networks, partnerships and methods (i.e. proof of concept) for a potential Phase II Maritime 2.0 CSO which would involve working with Civil Society Organisations in SE Asia towards Secure and Sustainable Marine and Maritime Resources through a spatially explicit Participatory & Integrated Planning Approach.
A primary activity was to establish a Community of Practice of CSOs, local and regional government representatives to identify shared marine and maritime-related values, issues and aspirations including the role that better managed maritime spaces can play in contributing to shared goals. Facilitate the sharing of policies, initiatives and lessons learned across the region that may benefit other CSOs. This resulted in the The Communities of Practice (CoP) Network, founded in May 2024 during a series of four onsite workshops which were organised as part of the project. An extensive needs assessment was conducted in 2023 based on focus group discussions with the leaders and members of grassroots Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in each location. These needs assessment insights informed the topics of the workshops and the formation of the CoP Network.
To increase the visibility of the CoPs, a public webpage, below, was developed, which promotes their vision, mission, and CSO members of the COPs.
Research Team: Dr Katie Sievers, Dr Ria Fitriana, Dannie O’Brien, and A/Prof Amy Diedrich
Funding: Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT)
For more information please contact Dr Amy Diedrich: amy.diedrich@jcu.edu.au