Report of 5th NOWPAP MERRAC Focal Points Meeting

The Action Plan for the Protection, Management and Development of the Marine and Coastal Environment of the Northwest Pacific Region (NOWPAP) and three Resolutions were adopted at the First Intergovernmental Meeting (Seoul, September 14, 1994; UNEP(OCA)/NOWPAP/IG.1/5) by the States in the Northwest Pacific region: Japan, People’s Republic of China, Republic of Korea and Russian Federation (hereinafter referred to as Japan, China, Korea, Russia, respectively). Resolution 1 identified five areas of priority for implementation of the Action Plan, one of which is NOWPAP/4: Development of Effective Measures for Regional Cooperation in Marine Pollution Preparedness and Response. At the international level, International Convention on Oil Pollution Preparedness and Response and Cooperation (OPRC) was adopted in November 1990 and entered into force in May 1995.