8th Intergovernmental Meeting: Resolutions

Eighth Intergovernmental Meeting of the Northwest Pacific Action Plan

Sanya Hainan Province, (People’s Republic of China), 5-7 November 2003 

Resolutions UNEP(DEC)/NOWPAP/IG.8/11/Annex I

RESOLUTION 1  

The Eighth Intergovernmental Meeting

1. Approves the report of the Executive Director of UNEP as the Interim Secretariat of NOWPAP on the progress in the implementation of NOWPAP

2. Approves the reports of the Directors of the four Regional Activity Centers (CEARAC, DINRAC, MERRAC, POMRAC) of NOWPAP on the progress in the implementation of NOWPAP during 2002/3

3. Approves the four documents of the Terms of Reference for the four respective Regional Activity Centers (CEARAC, DINRAC, MERRAC, POMRAC) of NOWPAP (UNEP/NOWPAP IG 8/7/1; UNEP/NOWPAP IG 8/7/2; UNEP/NOWPAP IG 8/7/3; UNEP/NOWPAP IG 8/7/4) as presented in Annex IV to this report

4. Approves the Work plan and Budget for NOWPAP for the 2004/2005 biennium as presented in Table 1 and emphasizes the importance of carrying out the work plan as scheduled

5. Decides that this approved budget may be reviewed and amended at a later stage, if necessary

6. Requests the Directors of the RACs to introduce changes and prioritize their respective activities in line with the approved budget and to consult with their respective Focal Points Meetings on priority activities

7. Encourages members, projects and Regional Activity Centers to implement the projects efficiently, in a cost-effective way and according to the work plan

8. Requests UNEP and the secretariat to disburse the allocated budgets from the Trust Fund to the Regional Activity Centers according to UNEP procedures

9. Requests UNEP to facilitate the implementation of work by providing programmatic support as well as administrative and practical assistance to the RACs and the RCU, which is to be established

10. Encourages the members of NOWPAP to make efforts to establish partnerships and cooperate with relevant international bodies, local governments and civil society in activities related to the implementation of NOWPAP 

Table 1: Workplan and Budget for NOWPAP activities for the biennium 2004/5 As approved by the 8th Intergovernmental Meeting of NOWPAP, Sanya, China, 5-7 November 2003* 

Activity Responsibility for Implementation 2004/5 Budget (In thousands $ USD) 

DINRAC

Data and Information 

DINRAC 150

CEARAC

HAB and Remote Sensing 

CEARAC 150

MERRAC

Preparedness and response, Marine based pollution

MERRAC 150

POMRAC

River Inputs and Atmospheric Inputs 

POMRAC 150

Survey of Nat’l Legislation

NOWPAP 2

RCU - when established  10

Public Awareness

NOWPAP 6

RCU - when established  23

Coordination of RACs

NOWPAP 5

RCU - when established  40 Land Based Activities and Ecosystem Based Management  UNEP as Interim Secretariat and RCU - when established  100 Establishment and operation of RCU  UNEP as Interim Secretariat and RCU - when established  120 Implementation of NOWPAP UNEP as Interim Secretariat and RCU - when established  80 Sub-total   973 13% of the sub-total as Programme Support Cost    127 Total   1,100

* Remark - according to the decision of the 8th IGM this budget may be reviewed and amended, if necessary, during the 2004/5 biennium. 

RESOLUTION 2

FINANCIAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF NOWPAP IN THE 2004-2005 BIENNIUM

The Eighth Intergovernmental Meeting,

1. Decides to maintain the level of contribution of previous years, with a view to revise this level at a later stage, should a particular need arise

2. Endorses the following tentative scale of contributions to the Trust Fund for activities in 2004 and 2005 

NOWPAP Member % Additional % TOTAL (US$)  PRC 5 3 40,000 Japan 5 20 125,000 ROK  5 15 100,000 Russian Federation 5 5 50,000 Total 20 43 315,000

3. Recognizes the pledges made for 2002/3 and encourages the members of NOWPAP which have not yet paid their pledges, to do so as early as possible

4. Encourages the members of NOWPAP and the Executive Director of UNEP to make all possible efforts to secure funds from sources external to the Trust Fund, including civil society, local government, international and regional organizations and financial institutions in order to reduce the financial burden of the members 

RESOLUTION 3 THE MOU AND THE REGIONAL CONTINGENCY PLAN

The Eighth Intergovernmental Meeting,

1. Adopts the NOWPAP Regional Oil Spill Contingency Plan (UNEP/IMO/NOWPAP/MERRAC IG. 8/6/1.2) as technical and operational guidelines for regional cooperation in cases of oil spill emergencies in NOWPAP region.

2. Approves the text of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the Regional Cooperation Regarding Preparedness and Response to Oils Spills in the Marine Environment of the Northwest Pacific Region (UNEP/IMO/NOWPAP/MERRAC IG. 8/6/1.1) as presented in Annex V to this report and decides that the MoU will be signed separately by each NOWPAP member.

3. Agrees that the text of the Regional Oil Spill Contingency Plan can be used as of 1st April 2004 as interim technical/operational guidelines for cooperation in case of emergencies, between NOWPAP members for the NOWPAP region, until the MoU will officially come into effect, in accordance with article 4(2) of the MoU. 

4. Requests MERRAC, the UNEP/NOWPAP secretariat and IMO to facilitate the process of signatures of the MoU and conduct consultations with NOWPAP members regarding possible occasions to hold an appropriate high level and visible ceremony after the process of signatures will be concluded.

5. Took note of and discussed the proposal made by Japan to broaden the geographical coverage of the Regional Contingency Plan and requests Japan to circulate among NOWPAP Members a background document with a view to conduct further consultations on the subject, and decides that the proposal will be discussed by the 9th Intergovernmental Meeting.

RESOLUTION 4 DEVELOPMENT OF A GEF PDF-B PROPOSAL

The Eighth Intergovernmental Meeting,

1. Agrees that there is a need for further consultations regarding the concept paper for the Global Environment Facility (GEF) for NOWPAP region titled: “Identification and Prioritisation of Marine Environmental Problems in the Northwest Pacific Region and Strategic Planning for Addressing Them” (UNEP/NOWPAP IG.8/9)

2. Requests UNEP/GEF and the NOWPAP secretariat to continue their consultations with the Members regarding the development of the proposal and to assess the need to hold a special meeting to further discuss this proposal with the members or to visit the countries separately to consult on the proposal

3. Requests UNEP/GEF and the NOWPAP secretariat to take in account the comments and concerns raised by NOWPAP members in developing this proposal

4. Decides to form an e-mail discussion group on the GEF project concept and decides that each NOWPAP Focal Point and concerned party will nominate an expert to form an e-mail discussion group.