The International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI) is a partnership of Nations and organizations which strives to preserve coral reefs and related ecosystems.ICRI recognizes the significant role that coral reefs and their associated ecosystems play in maintaining and enhancing marine biodiversity. ICRI further recognizes that the world's coral reefs are in serious degradation due to both anthropogenic pressure as well as global climate change, and there is an urgent need to enhance resilience of these ecosystems. A significant number of the Small Island Developing States hold large areas of coral reefs, and in these states, coral reef ecosystems form an integral part of people's lives, not only as sources of food and income, but also as a core of their cultural identities and heritage. ICRI aims to contribute to the conservation of these ecosystems by collecting and disseminating best practices of conservation and management, as well as the sustainable use of these natural resources, including areas such as sustainable tourism and sustainable fisheries. We believe that many of our objectives and challenges overlap with those of the Small Island Developing States, and it is for this reason that we believe ICRI's work can contribute to the sustainable development of Small Island Developing States.

A general meeting is held on an annual basis, and provides a platform for members to convene, share, and discuss issues on coral reef conservation. Members can submit motions for consideration by the ICRI membership, and motions may be adopted as Recommendations or Resolutions during a general meeting.In addition, ICRI operates on-ground through its Operational Network: the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network (GCRMN) and Ad Hoc Committees. Currently, there are four committees:- Caribbean Regional Response to Lionfish Invasion- Economic Valuation of Coral Reef Ecosystems- Enforcement and Evaluation (Coral Reef CSI)- Coral Reef Associated Fisheries.

During each general meeting, there is a technical/thematic workshop based on the Plan of Action, which contains elements of capacity building. Moreover, there are a number of capacity building workshops that are carried by our Ad Hoc committees as well as regional initiatives.

To support the goals of the Initiative, the ICRI Secretariat is hosted by ICRI member states on a voluntary basis and rotates every 2 to 3 years. The ICRI Secretariat organizes its work through a Plan of Action, through which we aim to implement the ICRI Call to Action and Framework for Action.As of April 1, 2014 and until March 2016, the ICRI Secretariat is co-chaired by the governments of Japan and Thailand. In previous terms, some of the Small Island Developing States, such as Seychelles, Palau, Samoa, and most recently, Belize, served as co-chairs in the ICRI Secretariat.

Member countries: Australia, Barbados, Belize, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Fiji, France, Grenada, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Korea, Madagascar, Maldives, Mexico, Panama, the Philippines, Monaco, the Republic of Palau, Samoa, Seychelles, South Africa, Sweden, Tanzania, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Vietnam Member NGOs: Blue Ventures, Central Caribbean Marine Institute, Conservation International, Coral Cay Conservation, Fondation pour la Protection de la Biodiversite Marine, Interamerican Association for Environmental Defense, Marine Ecosystem Services Partnership, National Coral Reef Institute, Project AWARE Foundation, Reef Check Foundation, Science and Conservation of Fish Aggregations, SeaWeb, The Coral Reef Alliance, The Nature Conservancy, Wildlife Conservation Society, World Resources Institute, WWF International Global intergovernmental organizations and multilateral environmental agreements: Convention on Biological Diversity, International Union for Conservation of Nature, Ramsar Convention Secretariat, The World Bank, UNEP-World Conservation Monitoring Centre, UNESCO, United Nations Development Programme, United Nations Environment Programme Regional intergovernmental organizations and regional seas: Coordinating Body on the Seas of East Asia (COBSEA), Regional Organization for the Conservation of the Environment of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden (PERSGA), Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), South Asia Co-operative Environment Programme (SACEP), UNEP Caribbean Environment Programme. Regional program endorsed by ICRI: Coastal Oceans Research and Development in the Indian (CORDIO) ICRI network: Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network (GCRMN)