The Eleventh NOWPAP Intergovernmental Meeting was held successfully in Moscow, the Russian Federation, on 20-21 December 2006. Representatives from the NOWPAP member states together with the observers from the UNEP East Asian Seas Regional Coordinating Unit and the UNDP/GEF Yellow Sea Large Marine Ecosystem Project Management Office attended the meeting.
The meeting approved the report of the Executive Director of UNEP on the progress in the implementation of NOWPAP activities, the reports on the activities of the four Regional Activity Centres (RACs) of NOWPAP and the revised Terms of Reference of the NOWPAP Regional Coordinating Unit (RCU) and the Focal Points Meetings of CEARAC, MERRAC and POMRAC. The meeting decided to carry out the evaluation of the performance of RACs in 2007 in order to further enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of NOWPAP activities. The meeting adopted the General NOWPAP Policy on Data and Information Sharing to facilitate information exchange among the member states and related organizations. The meeting recognized the necessity to increase the total amount of the NOWPAP Trust Fund and the contributions from all member states and decided to further discuss this issue at the next intergovernmental meeting. The meeting reiterated its endorsement of the GEF project concept on addressing land-based activities that affect the marine and costal environment of the Northwest Pacific region with the focus on persistent toxic substances. The meeting welcomed and encouraged cooperation and partnerships with relevant organizations, programmes and projects in the region.
The meeting agreed to hold the Twelfth NOWPAP Intergovernmental Meeting in the People’s Republic of China in 2007.
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.