The 10th NOWPAP Intergovernmental Meeting had been held successfully in Toyama, Japan on 24-26 November 2005. 36 participants from NOWPAP member states, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), NOWPAP Regional Activity Centres (RACs) and Regional Coordinating Unit (RCU) attended the meeting. The meeting made the following decisions:
• To start the Marine Litter Activity (MALITA) in the NOWPAP region.
• To expand the geographical coverage of the NOWPAP Oil Spill Regional Contingency Plan (RCP). In
a few months, the RCP will cover the area between 33 and 55 degrees North and from 121 to 145
degrees East.
• To initiate new directions of work for the NOWPAP RACs (including, among others, Integrated
Coastal Zone and River Basin Management; State of Marine Environment Report; Chemicals
Spills Preparedness and Response), in addition to NOWPAP activities related to Harmful Algal
Blooms; River and Direct Inputs of Contaminants; Oil Spills; Remote Sensing; and others.
The meeting supported a GEF PDF-B project proposal to address land-based activities with focus on persistent toxic substances (PTS). Cooperation with potential partners in the region, among other issues, was also discussed.
The 11th IGM will be hosted by the Russian Federation in 2006.
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.