The 15th Environmental Subcommittee Meeting of the Association of North East Asia Regional Governments (NEAR) and the Meeting on countermeasures against Marine Litter in the North-East Asian Region were organised back-to-back through a virtual meeting by the Government of Toyama Prefecture, NEAR, and the Northwest Pacific Region Environmental Cooperation Centre (NPEC) on Nov 17, 2021. Representatives of the NEAR members, including governmental agencies, provincial/prefecture (14) and local administrations, participated in the meeting.
NEAR aims to promote exchanges and cooperation on key issues of mutual interest between regional governments located in North-East Asia. The membership in NEAR has grown to seventy-nine regional governments from six countries, the People’s Republic of China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, the Democratic Republic of Korea, Mongolia, and the Russian Federation, and it encompasses around 700 million people.
The key issues discussed during the meeting included reporting on results achieved since the last meeting, Action Plans of the Environmental Subcommittee, promotion of international environmental cooperation in the region, as well as a series of activities on waste management, public awareness, investigation of the status of marine litter in the region.
NOWPAP was invited to participate in the 15th Environmental Subcommittee Meeting of NEAR on Nov 17, 2021, as an invited guest.
During the opening speech, NOWPAP Coordinator highlighted several key aspects of NOWPAP work relevant to the meeting:
NOWPAP, within its mandate, is very active in joining and supporting at the regional level such developments and campaigns. These, in particular, include the following: achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, The Convention on Biological Diversity Strategic Plan (2011-2020) and its Aichi Biodiversity Targets, the CBD Post-2020 Biodiversity Framework, and the UN Decades on Ocean Science for Sustainable Development and Ecosystem Restoration. Both UN Decades will cover the period of 2021-2030.
To establish effective transboundary frameworks to address the negative impacts of natural and anthropogenic processes, a collaborative policy-making process in the region is strengthened by establishing a collaborative platform for planning environment-friendly economic development with a long-term vision to maximise social and security benefits.
The following flagship activities were also highlighted - the continued support by the NOWPAP Member States, the implementation of the NOWPAP Regional Action Plan on Marine Litter (RAP MALI), the development of a NOWPAP Regional Action Plan on Conservation of Marine and Coastal Biodiversity (RAP BIO). Japan, as one of the NOWPAP hosting countries, was specifically mentioned, showcasing its “Osaka Blue Ocean Vision” announced at the G20 Osaka Summit 2019 with the aim to reduce additional pollution by marine plastic litter to zero by 2050. Currently, this important initiative is widely supported not only by the G20 countries but far beyond. In reality, zero plastic pollution has become a new global target.
It was also stressed that through the network on UNEP-administered Regional Seas Programmes and Action Plans, NOWPAP supports the global efforts to develop sustainable mechanisms for addressing environmental issues and maximising socio-economic benefits at the regional level in various geographical regions through a well-established South-South cooperation dialogue and knowledge exchange.
A special mention was made on the growing collaboration established between NOWPAP, as an inter-governmental body, and the Toyama Prefecture. This collaboration is truly multi-facet and forms a good example of mutual trust and goodwill between an UN-operated office and the Toyama Prefecture Government, the Northwest Pacific Region Environmental Cooperation Centre (NPEC). The Special Monitoring and Coastal Environmental Assessment Regional Activity Centre (CEARAC), hosted by NPEC, is one of the strongest in NOWPAP and is currently leading a series of high-quality flagship projects.
The meeting included a large number of presentations, discussions and was recognised by the participants as a success. The meeting also provided a good basis for activities until the next meeting due in 2023.
