Guimaras Province, Philippines — Twenty-two representatives from the five coastal municipalities: Buenavista, Jordan, Nueva Valencia, San Lorenzo and Sibunag, provincial and national government agencies attended a three-day training on the establishment of integrated information management system (IIMS Module 1) held at the Guimaras Museum on November 8-11, 2011. The three-day training was jointly organized by the Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA) and the Provincial Government of Guimaras.

 

The 9th Focal Points Meeting of the Pollution Monitoring Regional Activity Centre (POMRAC) was held on 25-26 October 2011 in Khabarovsk, Russia. POMRAC focal points and experts participated in the meeting where current activities were reviewed and the workplan for the 2012-2013 biennium were suggested for final approval by the 16th NOWPAP Intergovernmental Meeting to be held in December 2011.

 

The main activities for the next biennium will be, among others:

 

 

The 3rd NOWPAP Training Course on Remote Sensing Data Analysis training course was held at the Far Eastern Federal University in Vladivostok, Russia on 8-12 October 2011 with PICES (North Pacific Marine Science Organization which is nicknamed PICES for a Pacific ICES) and IOC Sub-Commission for the Western Pacific (IOC/WESTPAC) as co-organizers.

 

 

The 5-week Training Programme (formerly the Training Programme on Regional Ocean Governance for Mediterranean and Eastern European Countries) was successfully organised in Malta for the seventh consecutive year in November-December 2011.

 

The change in course title from previous programmes was made to more accurately reflect the aims of the course and to ensure effective focus of the group and faculty on the issues of governance of the regional seas and of the countries bordering their shores.

 

 

Busan, RO Korea — NOWPAP representatives attended the 4th High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness held from 29 November to 1 December 2011 in Busan, Republic of Korea, in order to learn the recent developments and priorities of major international donors, including in the field of environment.

 

Organized by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the Government of Republic of Korea, this high level forum was concluded with a declaration of Busan Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation.

 

 

Beijing, PR China — The 16th NOWPAP Intergovernmental Meeting (IGM) was held on 20-22 December 2011 in Beijing, PR China. Representatives from NOWPAP member states, Regional Activity Centers, partners and UNEP participated in the annual meeting which approved the NOWPAP work plan and budget for 2012-2013, including the implementation of NOWPAP Regional Action Plan on Marine Litter. In addition, the meeting adopted the revised Terms of Reference for the NOWPAP Regional Coordinating Unit and the Guidance on improving the quality of NOWPAP technical reports.

 

 

Singapore — The fourth meeting of the Ocean Policy Institute Network in the East Asian Region (OPINEAR) was held in Singapore on November 24-25, 2011. The meeting was hosted by the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (Singapore) and the Center of International Law (Singapore), and participated in by six institutions from East Asia.

 

 

Laguna, Philippines — Two international organizations have renewed their alliance to help conserve Southeast Asia's dwindling marine biodiversity. The ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) and the Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA) have signed a letter of commitment (LOC) renewing their cooperation to promote the conservation and sustainable use of coastal marine biodiversity. The LOC was signed by Rodrigo Fuentes, Executive Director of ACB, and Raphael Lotilla III, Executive Director of PEMSEA.

 

 

Saravan, Southern Lao PDR — Regulations promoting waste management were adopted by the Saravan province in Southern Lao PDR. These regulations, covering 12 villages in the area, enjoin households to maintain cleanliness and ensure proper waste management at the household level.