As one of the important steps in implementing the NOWPAP Marine Litter Activity, the 1st NOWPAP Workshop on Marine Litter was held on 8-9 June 2006 in Incheon, the Republic of Korea, with kind sponsorship from the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries and the Incheon Metropolitan City.
The workshop brought together participants from all NOWPAP member states, UNEP Regional Seas Programme, International Maritime Organization (IMO), the Coordinating Body on the Seas of East Asia (COBSEA), UNDP/GEF Project on Reducing Environment Stress in the Yellow Sea Large Marine Ecosystem (YSLME), as well as research institutions and NGOs.
During the workshop, the marine litter issue was introduced at the global level from UNEP and IMO perspective, and the situation in the NOWPAP region regarding existing policies, management approaches, monitoring and treatment of marine litter was presented. (Click here for the proceedings) The workshop provided an opportunity for the participants to exchange views, to build a common understanding and to find solutions to cope with the marine litter problem in this region.
A field trip was arranged to learn about facilities for marine litter treatment and about the Korean buyback programme for marine litter collected by local fishermen. The 2nd NOWPAP Workshop on Marine Litter will be held in Japan early next year
Implementation of NOWPAP contributes to the Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-based Activities (GPA) in the Northwest Pacific region.