Empowering Women, Peace and Security in the Coral Triangle: Bridging Civil-Military and State Boundaries to Tackle Maritime Environmental Crimes
Publisher: Pacific Forum International
Author(s): Lily Schlieman, Maryruth Belsey Priebe, Charity Borg, Anny Barlow, and Tevvi Bullock
Date: 2024
Topics: Cooperation, Extractive Resources, Gender, Governance, Peace and Security Operations, Renewable Resources
Countries: Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste
The Coral Triangle is renowned for its unparalleled marine biodiversity and provides food security to over 130 million people living in and around the region. Yet it faces mounting threats from illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, and other forms of maritime crime, including wildlife trafficking and pollution which threaten the region’s human and environmental security. Maritime environmental crimes undermine the delicate balance of marine ecosystems, jeopardize the livelihoods of coastal communities, and can exacerbate tensions among neighboring states. Marine degradation exacerbates instability both at sea and on land. Crucially, women play pivotal roles in fisheries management, marine conservation, and community resilience building, and they hold significant traditional ecological knowledge, yet their contributions often go unrecognized and marginalized. In coastal communities in the Coral Triangle, more than 50 percent of fishery workers are women. Building the capacity of partner maritime law enforcement agencies to identify and tackle maritime environmental crimes is critical to the region’s security. By incorporating Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) principles, this report distills the essential findings and recommendations from the Cross-Border Cooperation on WPS & Maritime Environmental Crimes in the Coral Triangle project workshops, investigating the complex dynamics of illegal fishing, maritime crime, and their adverse effects on the marine environment and human security within this biologically diverse and important region. It emphasizes the pressing need for a comprehensive strategy that integrates the principles of the WPS Agenda into strategic frameworks, emphasizing collaboration across state boundaries and between civil and military organizations to combat maritime environmental crimes more effectively.