On April 1st, 2014, the ICRI Secretariat is changing hosts, with its reins being passed from Australia and Belize to Japan and Thailand. The new Secretariat would like to commend the tremendous work done by Australia and Belize during its tenure: many issues have been progressed, including the adoption of the Continuing Call to Action and Framework for Action 2013, and General Meetings were held with great success – including the latest General Meeting in Belize where the formal handover ceremony was held.
Makiko Yanagiya (Ms) and Masako Iwamoto will be the main contacts for Japan, while Niphon Phongsuwan and Thamasak Yeemin will progress ICRI secretariat tasks in Thailand. Contact details for the new Secretariat are at: /japan-and-thailand-new-hosts-of-the-icri-secretariat/
The next General Meeting will be held in Japan right after the twelfth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 12) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). We will update you on the details of this meeting in the next few months – so keep an eye out for website updates, emails, and/or social media updates!
Coral reefs in Japan, (c) Ministry of the Environment (left) coral reefs in Thailand (c) Niphon Phongsuwan (right)