To draw civil society organizationβs support and involvement in collaborative efforts to conserve and protect maritime resources in Palawan, the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD) has unanimously approved the Collaboration Agreement (CA) between the PCSD Staff (PCSDS) and James Cook University (JCU) researchers.
This agreement, titled βEnhancing the Role of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in the Philippines in Marine Resource Management, Maritime Security, and Policy Implementation,β aims to promote shared responsibility and effective marine conservation practices between CSOs and the government.
While the PCSD welcomes further inputs and suggestions, the approval of the agreement signals and marks the commencement of the initial phase of project implementation, which is part of a four-year Maritime Consultancy 2.0 by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). It aims to assist Australiaβs partner-states in improving maritime policies, framework, and capabilities in accordance with international law.
In Palawan, Philippines, the project implementation will be in collaboration with Palawan State University (PSU) and Western Philippines University (WPU).
The project aims to : a.) identify, develop, and deliver locally relevant, effective tools, methodologies and approaches for promoting and implementing best practice in managing marine and maritime resources and space; b.) identify current opportunities and challenges for CSOs and Government to support each other on marine and maritime issues, and assist in designing solutions for those issues; and c.) develop programs to support Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) to meet the capacity needs for implementing identified solutions via the establishment of Community of Practice (CoP).
