News

In a concerted effort to bolster collaboration in responding to marine pollution incidents, the Korea Coast Guard organised an international workshop in Yeosu, Republic of Korea, on November 30, 2023.

NOWPAP and COBSEA participated in the Global Plastics Summit (11-12 October 2023, Bangkok, Thailand) to facilitate discussions during a special side-event on Regional Governance

On 12 September 2023, NOWPAP RCU Toyama office staff members participated in the annual beach clean-up campaign at Iwasehama Beach in Toyama City, Toyama, Japan.

The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, adopted during the fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 15) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), represents an ambitious roadmap toward achieving the global vision of a harmonious world with nature by 2050.

The Jeju International Island Symposium 2023 was held in Jeju, Republic of Korea, from August 30 to September 1, 2023.

Amid the ongoing challenges to our ocean's health, an event took place virtually on 1-3 August 2023—the Intersessional Workshop of the Sustainable Ocean Initiative (SOI) Global Dialogue with Regional Seas Organizations and Regional Fisheries Bodies. This gathering served as a platform for representatives from various regional and international organisations to review progress, foster cooperation, and discuss the implementation of critical global environmental agreements.

NOWPAP virtually participated in the 15th East Asian Seas Partnership Council Meeting, organized by the Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA) on the 26th and 27th of July 2023, in a hybrid format.

Fuzhou, China - On 2 June 2023, the North-West Pacific Action Plan (NOWPAP) of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) actively participated in the esteemed "Marine Economy and 'Dual Carbon' Strategy" Forum and the First Council Meeting of the 21st-Century Maritime Cooperation Committee, held in collaboration with the Fuzhou Municipal Government of China.

The NOWPAP Regional Coordinating Unit (RCU) was recently invited by the Busan Foundation of International Cooperation (BFIC) to present on international cooperation in environmental governance at a seminar for university students in Busan, Republic of Korea.

On 12th April 2023, the Source to Sea Pollution Unit from the Ecosystems Division of UNEP held a bilateral meeting with the NOWPAP Regional Coordinating Unit (RCU) to explore opportunities to enhance cooperation on pollution prevention. During the meeting, the Source to Sea Pollution Unit provided an update on their ongoing activities related to nutrient management, the progress of the working groups on sustainable nitrogen, and the development of regional action plans on nutrients in various geographical regions.

Bangkok, Thailand, 29 March 2023 – The Secretariats of the Coordinating Body on the Seas of East Asia (COBSEA) and the Northwest Pacific Action Plan (NOWPAP), the United Nations Environment Programme, UN-Habitat, and the Government of the Republic of Korea co-organised a side event titled ‘Catalysing Local and National Action on Plastic Pollution to Achieve Regional Priorities and Global Goals in South-East and East Asia’ within the framework of the 10th Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development (

Human activities are increasingly contributing to the proliferation of eutrophication, which results in significant negative impacts on coastal ecosystems. The appearance of red tides and dead zones or the decline in fishery products can be a manifestation of the effects of eutrophication. Therefore, eutrophication monitoring activities can provide valuable information for preventive eutrophication management efforts.

Habitat destruction, pollution, non-indigenous invasive species, over-fishing, and climate change have threatened marine biological communities in East Asia.

World Seagrass Conference 2022 & the 14th International Seagrass Biology Workshop (WSC2022 & ISBW14) were held in Annapolis, Maryland, USA on 7-12 August 2022.  Dr.

NOWPAP was invited to the 14th Meeting of the East Asian Seas (EAS) Partnership Council virtually on 27-28 July 2022. The meeting reviewed the key accomplishments of the Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA) and discussed the 2023-2027 Implementation Plan (IP) of the Sustainable Development Strategy for the Seas of East Asia (SDS-SEA).

The Climate Technology Center& Network (CTCN) Partnership and Liaison office was launched by the Ministry of Science and ICT of the Republic of Korea (ROK), Incheon Metropolitan Government,  and the United Nations Environment Programme in Songdo, Incheon, ROK, on 21 July 2022.

The Climate Technology Center& Network promotes the development and transfer of climate technology among countries. It will provide developing countries with the necessary technical assistance for climate technologies.

The 18th Focal Points Meeting of NOWPAP Pollution Monitoring Regional Activity Centre was held online on 7-8 December 2021. The scientists from the Northwest Pacific region reviewed the projects implemented in 2020 and 2021 and agreed to the work plan in the next biennium.

Seagrass habitats are valuable coastal ecosystems in maintaining marine biodiversity and mitigating climate change by absorbing and storing carbon. The Special Monitoring and Coastal Environment Assessment Regional Activity Centre (CEARAC) of the Northwest Pacific Action Plan (NOWPAP) organised its first webinar for mapping seagrass by optical sensors from 30 November to 02 December 2021.

The Regional Kick-off Conference of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2021) (Ocean Decade) in the Western Pacific and its adjacent areas was organised by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of Thailand, and the Sub-Commission for the Western Pacific (WESTPAC), the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO on 25-26 November 2021.

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.

The year of 2021 marks the 30th Anniversary of the Republic of Korea (ROK) joining the United Nations. To celebrate this event, the United Nations offices in ROK and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of ROK jointly organized a virtual Policy Dialogue on the Future of Multilateralism and the Role of the Republic of Korea on 22 October 2021.

Experts from China, Japan, the Republic of Korea and Russian gathered online at the Expert Meeting 2021 and the 19th Focal Points Meeting of the Data and Information Network Regional Activity Center (DINRAC) on 13 and 14 October 2021 to review the progress of the regional cooperation in marine environmental data and information sharing and explore ways of strengthening the current cooperation.

In response to an urgent need for effective regional ocean governance, the Sustainable Ocean Initiative (SOI) was established at the margins of COP 10, through the leadership of Japan, COP 10 Presidency, and in collaboration with various intergovernmental and nation partners willing to provide the necessary support to this global initiat

NOWPAP RCU Toyama office staff joined the beach clean-up campaign at Iwasehama Beach in the morning of 28 September 2021. This event was a traditional annual campaign organized by the Northwest Pacific Region Environmental Cooperation Center (NPEC) together with Toyama Prefecture and Toyama City government officials. About 60 people participated in this event, including 40 school kids from a local elementary school and a high school and several NGO representatives and local residents.

The annual meeting of the Marine Environmental Quality Committee (MEQ) of the North Pacific Marine Science Organization (PICES) was held online on 22 September 2021. The meeting reviewed the implementation of PICES 2019 decisions. The Section on Ecology of Harmful Algal Blooms in the North Pacific (S-HAB), the Advisory Panel on Marine Non-indigenous Species (AP-NIS), and the Working Group on Indicators of Marine Plastic Pollution (WG 42) reported their activities in 2020 and proposed plans for 2021 and beyond.