As part of the NOWPAP Marine Litter Activity, an International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) campaign was organized on 29 September 2007 in Busan with kind sponsorship of Korean Ministry of Maritime and Fisheries (MOMAF). It was the second time that NOWPAP has organized such event in 2007 to promote ICC in the region. Participants in the campaign and an associated workshop were from NOWPAP member states, from several countries participating in the Coordinating Body for the Seas of East Asia (COBSEA), from COBSEA secretariat, and from YSLME project. Several NGOs and reserach institutions also participated: the Ocean Conservancy (the founder of the ICC), Korea Ocean Research & Development Institute, Japan Environmental Action Network, Korean Marine Rescue Centre and the Korean National Fisheries Research and Development Institute. During the Workshop, focused on sharing information on marine litter, participants witnessed a MOU signing ceremony between the Ministry of Environment, MOMAF and four local authorities in Korea for the Nakdong River Basin Marine Litter Management which contributes to the reduction of marine litter input from the river.
In a separate development, another pilot ICC campaign was organized in Vladivostok, Russia on 2 October 2007 with more than 50 participants. NOWPAP has indeed committed itself to continue promoting ICC campaigns in the region.
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.