The 17th NOWPAP Intergovernmental Meeting (IGM) was held in Jeju (Korea) on 1-2 November 2012. All NOWPAP member states (China, Japan, Korea and Russia) were represented as well as for NOWPAP Regional Activity Centers (RACs) and four major partners (PEMSEA, PICES, WESTPAC and YSLME). The meeting reviewed the implementation of the NOWPAP Programme of Work (PoW) 2012-13, including new project proposals, and discussed several important issues such as financing NOWPAP Regional Coordinating Unit, rotating Coordinator and Deputy Coordinator between Toyama and Busan offices, negotiating an agreement with International Maritime Organization and enhancing cooperation with the partners who all delivered statements at the meeting. The meeting approved the report of the UNEP Executive Director on the implementation of NOWPAP, reports of four NOWPAP Regional Activity Centers on their progress in 2012 and the revised Terms of Reference for CEARAC (Special Monitoring and Environmental Assessment Regional Activity Centre) Focal Points Meeting. The 18th NOWPAP IGM will be held tentatively in December 2013 in Japan.
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.