News

NOWPAP Marine Environmental Emergency Preparedness and Response Regional Activity Centre (MERRAC) and Data and Information Network Regional Activity Centre (DINRAC) held their Focal Points meetings on 14-18 May and 23-24 May 2012 in Yeosu and Beijing, respectively.  At the MERRAC Focal Points Meeting, the following major activities were decided to be carried out for the next two years among other routine tasks: Compiling a report on the legislation and practice related to civil liability and compensation for marine pollution damage in NOWPAP region; Developing practical assistance procedure a

NOWPAP joined other international organizations and projects at the Ocean and Coast Best Practise Area of the Expo 2012 Yeosu Korea, to showcase its activities on oil spills preparedness and response and marine litter management. During the first week of the Expo, two lectures were delivered by NOWPAP on 16 and 17 May respectively introducing UNEP Regional Seas Programme and NOWPAP activities. Related materials were also distributed. The Expo will be continued till 12 August 2012. 

In conjunction with the International Exposition Yeosu Korea 2012, the 4th NOWPAP joint oil spill exercise was conducted on 18 May. Jointly organized by Korea Coast Guard and China Maritime Safety Administration under the NOWPAP Regional Oil Spill Contingency Plan, with participation of about 30 vessels, boats and aircrafts, the exercise demonstrated the preparedness of NOWPAP member states to major oil spills at sea. Three previous NOWPAP joint oil spill exercises have been conducted in Russia, China and Japan respectively since 2006.    

Taking into account suggestions of member states after the 16th Intergovernmental Meeting held in Beijing, China (December 2011), the NOWPAP Medium-term Strategy 2012-2017 has been finalized. In the coming 5 years, NOWPAP activities will be focusing on the following priority areas: • Integrated coastal and river basin management;  • Regular assessments of the state of the marine environment;  • Pollution prevention and reduction, including harmful substances, hazardous waste and marine litter;  • Biodiversity conservation (including marine invasive species, MIS);  • Climate change impacts.

NOWPAP Special Monitoring and Coastal Environmental Assessment Regional Activity Centre (CEARAC) convened its tenth Focal Points Meeting (FPM) on 17-18 April 2012 in Toyama, Japan.

NOWPAP representative attended the workshop “Introduction to rapid assessment survey methodologies for detecting non-indigenous marine species (NIS)” that was jointly organized by the North Pacific Marine Science Organization (PICES), the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission’s Sub-Commission for the Western pacific (IOC WESTPAC) and NOWPAP in Nagasaki, Japan, on 8-9 February 2012.

NOWPAP representative attended the Eastern and South-eastern Asian Seas Workshop of the Regular Process on 21-23 February 2012 in Sanya, China. Contributing to the regular process for global reporting and assessment of the state of the marine environment, including socio-economic aspects, this workshop was designed as a capacity building exercise and brought about 58 participants from 7 countries (including China, Japan and Korea) and several international organizations to assess the needs, gaps and capacity for future assessments for the region.

Ms. Gyoung Hee Kim joined NOWPAP RCU and reported to the Busan office on 13 February 2012. With her arrival the administrative work in Busan office will be improved as the post had not been filled since September 2011. Ms. Kim, a Korean national, was working for the Yellow Sea Large Marine Ecosystem Project (YSLME) before joining RCU and it is expected that the experience with the GEF project will facilitate her orientation in the new working environment at NOWPAP.

NOWPAP and the Organizing Committee have recently signed a contract with regard to the NOWPAP participation in the Expo 2012 Yeosu Korea. During the Expo which will run through 12 May - 12 August 2012 in Yeosu city of the Republic of Korea, NOWPAP will present its activities (with the assistance of a designated company) in the Ocean and Coast Best Practice Area with themes of oil spill preparedness and response as well as marine litter management. A number of lectures will be also delivered during the Expo period to promote NOWPAP and public awareness of marine environment conservation.

Joining more than 400 delegates from about 65 governments and European Commission as well as Intergovernmental Organizations, representatives of NOWPAP attended the Global Conference on Land-Ocean Connections (GLOC) and the third Intergovernmental Review (IGR-3) Meeting of the Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-based Activities (GPA) held on 23 -27 January 2012 in Manila, the Philippines.  While attending the plenary and thematic sessions on marine litter, coastal ecosystems, nutrient cycle and UN Regular Process, NOWPAP representatives learned ab

The 16th NOWPAP Intergovernmental Meeting (IGM) was held on 20-22 December 2011 in Beijing. Representatives of member states, NOWPAP Regional Activity Centers and partners as well as UNEP headquarters, participated in the annual meeting which approved the NOWPAP work plan and budget for 2012-2013, including the implementation of NOWPAP Regional Action Plan on Marine Litter.

NOWPAP representatives attended the 4th High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness held from 29 November to 1 December 2011 in Busan, Republic of Korea, in order to learn the recent developments and priorities of major international donors, including in the field of environment. Organized by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the Government of Republic of Korea, this high level forum was concluded with a declaration of Busan Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation.

The 3rd training course was held at the Far Eastern Federal University in Vladivostok, Russia on 8-12 October 2011 with PICES and IOC/WESTPAC as co-organizers. The course was jointly sponsored by NOWPAP, PICES, IOC/WESTPAC and IOCCG (International Ocean Colour Coordinating Group). Among the 58 applications from 24 countries, the Organizing Committee selected and funded 7 trainees for the training course in addition to 15 self-funded trainees. The trainees are from the four NOWPAP member states (China, Korea, Japan and Russia) as well as India, Indonesia, and the Philippines.

The 9th Focal Points Meeting of the Pollution Monitoring Regional Activity Centre (POMRAC) was held on 25-26 October 2011 in Khabarovsk, Russia. POMRAC focal points and experts participated in the meeting where current activities were reviewed and workplan for the 2012-2013 biennium were suggested for final approval by the 16th NOWPAP Intergovernmental Meeting to be held in December 2011.

On 3-5 October 2011, the 13th Global Meeting of Regional Seas was held in Busan, Republic of Korea, hosted by NOWPAP. Representatives of 10 Regional Seas Conventions and Action Plans (from as far away as SE Pacific, Caribbean, NE Atlantic and Baltic Sea), UNEP Freshwater and Marine Ecosystems Branch and GPA (Global Programme of Action for the Protection of Marine Environment from Land-based Activities) Coordinating Office participated in the meeting.

On 20-21 September 2011, NOWPAP conducted its annual International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) campaign and workshop on marine litter prevention and control in Lianyungang, Jiangsu province, China, as part of the implementation of the NOWPAP Regional Action Plan on Marine Litter (RAP MALI). The events were organized by the Ministry of Environmental Protection of China, Jiangsu Provincial Environmental Protection Bureau, Lianyungang Municipal Government and NOWPAP Regional Coordinating Unit (RCU).

The 9th Focal Points Meeting of the Special Monitoring and Coastal Environmental Assessment Regional Activity Centre of NOWPAP was held on 6-7 September 2011 in Toyama, Japan.

NOWPAP coordinator attended the 16th Senior Officials Meeting of the Northeast Asia Sub-regional Programme for Environmental Cooperation (NEASPEC) on 1-2 September 2011 in Seoul. As a one of the important regional cooperation mechanisms, NEASPEC has initiated and implemented several projects on nature conservation, trans-boundary air pollution, dust and sandstorms and eco-efficiency.  Among the new proposals discussed at the meeting, NOWPAP is interested in contributing in the future to the “Strengthening Sub-regional Cooperation to Address Environmental Challenges Related to Trans-boundary Ma

The Northwest Pacific Region Environmental Cooperation Centre (NPEC) organized a meeting on biodiversity and eutrophication on 4-5 August 2011 in Toyama, Japan. Experts at the meeting were from NOWPAP member countries (China, Japan, Korea and Russia), international organizations such as Helsinki Commission (HELCOM), North Pacific Marine Science Organization (PICES), and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of the United States.

NOWPAP representatives attended the meeting on Sustainable Ocean Initiative (SOI) held on 2-4 August 2011 in Kanazawa, Japan. Jointly organized by the Secretariat of the Convention of Biological Diversity and the United Nations University (Institute of Advanced Studies) with the support of the Government of Japan, the meeting discussed the long term vision, goals and approaches for the development of the SOI in order to contribute to the realization of Aichi Targets 6 and 11 adopted by CBD COP 10 October 2010 in Nagoya focusing on sustainable fishery and the marine protected areas.

20 students from Toyama middle and high schools visited RCU Toyama office on 1 August 2011 and a presentation on NOWPAP and its activities was given to the students.  

In conjunction with the Toyama port call of Hakusan, oil recovery and harbour dredging vessel, which participated in the third NOWPAP joint oil spill response exercise held in Wakkanai, Japan in 2010, NOWPAP Deputy Coordinator delivered a presentation to Toyama citizens introducing NOWPAP activities including those carried out under the NOWPAP regional oil spill contingency plan.  The presentation was a part of a Toyama Prefectural Government programme of promoting public awareness of oil spill preparedness and response, which was arranged on 18 July, the Ocean Day observed as a national holid

NOWPAP representative attended the Eco-life Act meeting and delivered a congratulatory speech on 19 June 2011 in Toyama.  The Eco-life Act campaign in Toyama started in 2007, encouraging ordinary citizens to take environmental friendly actions during their daily life.  NOWPAP has been involved in the campaign through participating in the annual meetings where outstanding individuals were awarded by the governor of Toyama Prefecture for their excellent performance in practicing eco-life.

In line with UNEP efforts to strengthen project management capacity, NOWPAP RCU staff members have completed the “Projects in a Controlled Environment (PRINCE2)” online training courses.  This internationally-recognized standard of project management covers the product-based planning, control and management which can be applied to any size and type of projects.  RCU staff will use the project management skills to implement all NOWPAP ongoing and future activities.

NOWPAP will host the 13th Global Meeting of Regional Seas Conventions and Action Plans (GMRS) in Busan, Korea, on 3-5 October 2011.  The focus of this annual meeting will be on the implementation of the Global Programme of Action (GPA) to protect the marine environment from land-based activities.  Prvious GMRS meetings in recent years were held in Bergen (Norway), Bangkok (Thailand), Guayaquil (Ecuador) and other locations, hosted by individual Regional Seas programmes.