message from the NOWPAP Coordinator
Dear Reader,
I am delighted to introduce the first re-designed digital version of the NOWPAP News formerly called NOWPAP Quarterly. The newsletter is an indication of our increasing efforts in using digital communication tools in the NOWPAP. We plan to continue it as a regular quarterly publication to keep you in touch with news and developments, which relate to the NOWPAP and its implementation. The newsletter combines information about activities of the NOWPAP Regional Activity Centers, Regional Coordinating Unit, and includes relevant regional news and other useful information.
In this issue you will find information about various activities of NOWPAP. For example, a successful international workshop on seagrass monitoring was organized by our Monitoring and Assessment Center in Himi, Toyama Prefecture. The Pollution Monitoring Center has completed the Regional Overview of the NOWPAP Ecological Quality Objectives and relevant indicators, which represents an important step towards defining “good environmental status” for the NOWPAP marine and coastal environment. NOWPAP was at full force at the 2017 Annual Meeting of the North Pacific Marine Science Organization (PICES) co-organizing two sessions (on marine litter and microplastics and on harmful algal blooms), addressing PICES Science Board and Governing Council as well as making presentations at various technical sessions. In September 2017, NOWPAP together with Tripartite Environmental Ministers Meeting held a workshop on marine litter and microplastics management and International Ocean Cleanup Campaign.
We are finalizing preparations for the 22nd NOWPAP Intergovernmental Meeting that will be held on December 19-21 2017 in Toyama, Japan. Among various important issues to be discussed, the NOWPAP Mid-term Strategy for the period 2018-2023 would define priorities for the implementation of the Action Plan and its contribution to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals.
I am pleased to inform you that this newsletter was compiled and produced by our two talented interns, Kotoe Kuroda and Soh Young Park - NOWPAP's first interns since we opened the program in 2016. Please read about them in the newsletter.
We would very much welcome your feedback and suggestions on how to improve this important for NOWPAP information resource.
Sincerely,
Lev Neretin
Contents of this issue
- NOWPAP Regional Activity Centres (RACs) & Regional Coordinating Unit (RCU)
- Fostering Partnerships
- Working with Communities
- Marine News Digest
- Engage with the UN Environment
- NOWPAP Interns
- Contact us
CEARAC - Special Monitoring and Coastal Environmental Assessment Regional Activity Center
Reviewing Progress at the 15th CEARAC Focal Points Meeting
On 29-30 August 2017, over 20 delegates from the NOWPAP Member States (P.R. China, Japan, Republic of Korea and the Russian Federation), including CEARAC Focal Points, experts and representatives of the four Regional Activity Centers, met in Toyama, Japan to review CEARAC activities for the 2016-2017 biennium and discussed the Center's workplan and budget for the 2018-2019 biennium.
The Meeting also adopted the outline of the report on major pressures on marine biodiversity in the NOWPAP region and invited CEARAC Focal Points and partners to review the report's first draft at a workshop that was held in Tokyo on October 2017. Participants adopted the activity report on a feasibility study to assess seagrass distribution in the NOWPAP region.
Participants discussed priority biodiversity issues for inclusion in the proposed CEARAC Medium-term Strategy (CEARAC MTS) on marine biodiversity. The revised CEARAC MTS workplan will be reviewed by the CEARAC Focal Points and submitted for approval at the 22nd NOWPAP Intergovernmental Meeting in December 2017. The meeting concluded with the adoption of the CEARAC workplan and budget for the next biennium.
Concluding the Meeting, delegates expressed sincere appreciation to Prof. Dr. Yasuwo Fukuyo for many years of service and contributions to NOWPAP as he is retiring this year. The 16th CEARAC Focal Points Meeting will be held in spring 2018 in Toyama.
International Workshop on the Assessment of Seagrass Distribution in the NOWPAP Region
The First International Workshop on the Assessment of Seagrass Distribution in the NOWPAP region was organized in Himi city in Toyama Prefecture, Japan on 3 August 2017. Some 30 researchers from NOWPAP Member States and elsewhere, including scientists, local government officials and representatives of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) working on seagrass conservation, took part in the workshop.
Two keynote speeches “Carbon Storage Potential of Blue Forest: Prospects for developing blue carbon initiatives in the NOWPAP region” by Dr. Maria Potouroglou of the UN Environment/GRID-Arendal and “Estimating candidate EBSA for seagrasses and projecting future distribution of seagrasses in Japan” by Dr. Teruhisa Komatsu of Yokohama College of Commerce were delivered. Country reports on the status of seagrass distribution and threats to seagrass ecosystems in the NOWPAP region were presented by national experts. Dr. Tatsuyuki Sagawa of the Remote Sensing Technology Center of Japan made a presentation entitled “Large scale seagrass mapping using satellite images in Japan” and Dr. Gregory N. Nishihara of Nagasaki University made a presentation entitled “Monitoring seagrass productivity using low-cost data logging technology”.
The workshop concluded with the presentation by CEARAC of the provisional table of contents of the feasibility study report followed by the discussion on the action required for mapping seagreass distribution in the NOWPAP region. The workshop reached a consensus on the use of freely available satellite imagery, cloud computing technology and public involvement in field data collection in the future.
MERRAC - Marine Environmental Emergency Preparedness & Response Regional Activity Center
testing the Online Pollution Reporting System
MERRAC continued testing its Online Pollution Reporting (POLREP) System to ensure effective information exchnage in case of oil and HNS (Hazardous and Noxious Substances) spill pollution accidents. Test exercises of this system used since December 2016, were held on 27 June and 27 September 2017 with the involvement of POLREP Focal Points.
Under the online POLREP system, POLREP Focal Points nominated by NOWPAP Member States only need to fill in the relevant information in the POLREP form, and then the formal documents in PDF format are automatically created and sent by fax and email, also in the form of text messages to POLREP Focal Points’ personal cellphones (see pictures below). In addition, the delivery status of the POLREP could also be checked in real-time.
Preparing for the 2017 International Maritime Disaster Response Conference
The Centre is preparing for the 2017 MERRAC Expert Meeting scheduled to be held on 6 and 7 December 2017 at the International Conference “2017 International Maritime Disaster Response Conference to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Hebei Spirit oil spill accident”. Organized by the Korea Coast Guard, with support from MERRAC, the conference will bring together about 200 delegates from P.R. China, Japan, Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation, and the United States of America, marine pollution response experts from the International Maritime Organization (IMO), International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation Limited (ITOPF), International petroleum industry environmental conservation association (IPIECA), Oil Spill Response Limited (OSRL), International Oil Pollution Funds (IOPF), and other experts.
POMRAC - Pollution Monitoring Regional Activity Center
Summary of activities
- Regional overview of potential Ecological Quality Objective indicators for the NOWPAP region was completed in October 2017.
- The 14th POMRAC Focal Points Meeting was held in Vladivostok, Russia on October 26-26 2017.
- POMRAC completed the first assessment of microplastics pollution in the coastal area of the Peter the Great Gulf, which was included into the Regional Action Plan on Marine Litter implementation for 2016-2017.
- POMRAC representatives made contributions to meetings and events organized by other NOWPAP Regional Centers and partner organizations, including the 15th CEARAC Focal Points Meeting, NOWPAP-TEMM workshop on marine litter management and 2017 International Coastal Cleanup Campaign, and the 2017 Annual PICES meeting. During the PICES-2017 meeting, representatives of POMRAC talked about the progress in the development of the NOWPAP Ecological Quality Objectives and the ongoing research efforts assessing microplastics pollution with river discharge in the Russian Far East.
POMRAC Publications Recognized
Three publications by POMRAC, the Center hosted by the Pacific Geographical Institute of the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, received the 2017 Award for the Best Scientific Book in the category of science books for its coverage of environmental problems in the region. Three awarded publication are as follows:
- Regional Overview of PTS and POPs issues of ecological concern in the NOWPAP region - Contains information on persistent toxic substances sources, temporal trends, their eco-toxicological effects and the status of regulatory frameworks.
- Integrated Coastal Planning and Ecosystem-based Management in the Northwest Pacific Region - Contains guidelines ans case studies of integrated coastal management applications among NOWPAP Member States.
- State of the Marine Environment Report for the NOWPAP Region (SOMER-2)- The second overview on major environmental issues in the NOWPAP region that covers a period from 2005-2013.
Regional Coordinating Unit
Member states review progress on marine litter management
The 2017 Joint NOWPAP-TEMM (The Tripartite Environment Ministers Meeting among Japan, P.R. China, and R. Korea) Workshop on Marine Litter Management was held in Toyama, Japan on 19 and 20 September 2017 with presentations on marine litter management and microplastics by the four NOWPAP Member States. Presentations on local and global-level initiatives to address the marine litter problem were also made by a Japanese NGO (JEAN) and NOWPAP partners including the UN Environment International Environmental Technology Centre (IETC), UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Yellow Sea Large Marine Ecosystem Project, Phase II.
The Republic of Korea described a particularly interesting policy initiative on marine litter management that is based on the fact that over 20 per cent of marine litter in the country comes from sea-based sources and that the main contributor to marine litter by volume was expanded polystyrene (EPS). The Republic of Korea's 2nd National Marine Debris Management Plan focused accordingly on gradually phasing out EPS buoys; the initial actions included public awareness and education campaigns and distribution of alternatives gradually resulting in the development of a policy hopefully leading to a ban of EPS buoys in the future.
Following the workshop, during the 2017 International Coastal Cleanup Campaign, workshop participants, together with local residents and university students, collected more than 50 bags of marine litter on the Rokudoji Coast in Imizu City, Toyama. The beach became much cleaner in just about an one hour, proving that community-level actions could make a difference.
NOWPAP Trust Fund Fully Replenished
With the confirmed 100% contribution from the P.R. China, NOWPAP Trust Fund reaches one hundred percent replenishment level in 2017. NOWPAP Regional Coordinating Unit and its Regional Activity Centers express their gratitude to the participating Member States and NOWPAP global and regional partners for their continued support of the NOWPAP mission and its operations.
NOWPAP at the First Asia-Pacific Ministerial Summit on the Environment
On 5-8 September 2017, the 1st Asia-Pacific Ministerial Summit on the Environment organized jointly by the UN Environment and Economic and Social Comission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), was held in Bangkok, Thailand on the theme, ‘Towards a Resource-efficient and Pollution-free Asia-Pacific.’ During a special event, “Strengthening regional ocean governance and partnership towards clean seas”, Lev NERETIN, NOWPAP Coordinator, introduced how the Regional Seas Programme of the UN Environment contribute to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 14 addressing sustainable use of oceans, seas and marine resources.
Another presentation at the special event was given by the teenage sister founders of Bye Bye Plastic Bags, social intitative to rid Bali, Indonesia of plastic bags. They explained about their work in raising awareness and rewarding local businesses that have created plastic bag-free zones. Other presentations introduced the Pacific Island Forum’s Pacific Oceanscape Framework, shipping regulations on marine debris in Singapore, national campaigns for plastic litter in the Maldives and efforts by IKEA aimed at improving plastics recycling. The observation by the Minister of Environment and Water Resources of Singapore that 8 out of the top 10 countries contributing to marine litter pollution are in Asia, reminded the Summit of the importance of tackling this issue in the NOWPAP region.
The Ministerial Declaration on Environment and Development for Asia and the Pacific adopted by the Summit emphasized the importance of regional and sub-regional cooperation in natural resource management, facilitatation of knowledge exchange and support for evidence-based policies, amongst others. The Declaration will be submitted to the third meeting of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-3) in December 2017. Among the five resolutions submitted, one was on marine litter and microplastics.
Celebrating Caspian Sea Day 2017
Following the invitation of the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE), NOWPAP joined the 2017 Caspian Sea Day celebration held on 10 and 11 August 2017 in Astrakhan, Russian Federation. The international meeting sponsored by the Administration of the Astrakhan Oblast, MNRE, PJSC “LUKOIL” and the Interim Tehran Convention Secretariat brought together representatives of the Caspian littoral countries, national representatives from other Regional Sea regions, marine pollution experts, and representatives of the private sector and academic communities to share experiences on regional cooperation and discuss implementation of the Tehran Convention to protect the Caspian Sea environment.
NOWPAP Coordinator, Lev Neretin, and POMRAC Director, Anatoly Kachur, discussed the NOWPAP's role and experience in supporting Sustainable Development Goal 14 implementation, in a presentation made at the International Forum “The role of the Framework Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Caspian Sea (Tehran Convention) in achievement of the environmentally sustainable development of the Caspian Sea region and interaction on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)”.
The NOWPAP representatives also met MNRE representatives to discuss the NOWPAP Medium-term Strategy 2018-2023. A highlight of the Caspian Day celebration was a series of activities organized by the Russian oil and gas company PJSC “LUKOIL”, highlighting its environmental disclosure process and training to reduce environmental risks from offshore oil and gas development.
NOWPAP strengthens cooperation with the North Pacific Marine Science Organisation (PICES)
NOWPAP was actively involved in the 2017 Annual Meeting of the North Pacific Marine Science Organization (PICES) “Environmental Changes in the North Pacific and Impacts on Biological Resources and Ecosystem Services” held in Vladivostok, Russia from 22 September to 1 October 2017. More than 300 scientists and experts from PICES member countries attended the gathering.
NOWPAP was a co-convenor of two sessions during the meeting; “Microplastics in marine environments: Fate and effects” and “Long-term changes in Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) occurrences in PICES nations: the Eastern vs. Western Pacific”. The first session presented results of regional and global research on microplastics pollution sources and its effects on organisms. The HAB workshop presented findings on the effects of environmental factors on HABs and emphasized the importance of species composition in algal blooms.
NOWPAP Senior Coordinator, Lev Neretin addressed members of the PICES Science Board and made a presentation on priorities for institutional cooperation in the implementation of the NOWPAP Medium-term Strategy 2018-2023. NOWPAP also submitted a statement to the PICES Governing Board. The discussion with PICES led to the identification of the following five areas of future co-operation:
- NOWPAP to continue working in the two priority areas of the PICES-NOWPAP Framework for Scientific Cooperation in the North Pacific Ocean by a joint PICES-NOWPAP Study Group on Scientific Cooperation in the North Pacific Ocean (SG-SCOOP) in 2015, namely HAB and marine litter, including microplastics: It is important to continue practice organizing joint meetings and workshops during PICES annual meetings and at other occasions where appropriate
- Collaboration in Ecosystem Status Reporting
- Marine and coastal biodiversity with a focus on invasive species with NOWPAP and PICES aiming to enhance cooperation through the PICES AP-NIS platform
- Regular joint publications on emerging Issues. Considering the unparalleled PICES access to the best scientific knowledge and expertise on marine issues in the region and NOWPAP access to policy- and decision-making, a potential area of interest to NOWPAP is partnering PICES in producing concise and focused annual briefs on emerging marine environmental issues in the region. Proposed Emerging Issues Briefs would aim to provide early warning information to policymakers.
- Developing climate change adaptation/resilience of socio-ecological systems, an area where NOWPAP lacks expertise and will explore partnering PICES in organizing relevant events, with the earliest opportunity being the ICES/PICES Marine Socio-Ecological Systems Symposium (MSEAS II) to be held in Yokohama in 2020.
Second Phase of Yellow Sea Large Marine Ecosystem Project Launched
NOWPAP participated in the 1st Meeting of the Management, Science and Technical Panel of the UNDP/GEF Yellow Sea Large Marine Ecosystem (YSLME) Phase II Project, the Inception Ceremony of the Project, and the 1st Meeting of the Interim Commission Council held in Seoul, R. Korea on 11-13 July 2017. The meetings were attended by the representatives from national and local governments of R. Korea and P.R. China, United Nations Development Programme, United Nations Office for Project Services, NOWPAP and others. YSLME Phase II Project will strengthen cooperaiton with NOWPAP through joint activities on marine litter and harmful algal blooms. The 1st Meeting of the Interim Commission Council (ICC-1) approved the revised terms of reference (TORs) of the Interim Commission Council and its Subsidiary Bodies, Rules of Procedure for the ICC, and the TORs of Secretariat staff.
World Fisheries University Pilot Programme Starts
On 7 September 2017, NOWPAP took part in the Opening Ceremony of the World Fisheries University (WFU) Pilot Programme at Pukyong National University in Busan. WFU is a postgraduate institution and admits students from developing countries and small island nations to foster national capacities for sustainable fisheries development. The WFU Pilot Programme offers a master's degree in three semesters. Thirty students have joined the inaugural course. The future of the WFU will be debated at the FAO General Assembly in 2019.
At the inaugural ceremony, Dr. Ning Liu from NOWPAP met with Mr. Joonsuk Kang, Vice Minister of Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries of Korea, Mr. Kitack Lim, Secretary General of International Maritime Organization (IMO), and Mr. Young-Seup Kim, President of Pukyong National University to discuss further cooperation.
All Generations Join Forces for the marine litter survey in Toyama Prefecture
On a cloudy morning on September 11th 2017, NOWPAP joined the Marine Litter Survey conducted by the Northwest Pacific Region Environmental Cooperation Center (NPEC), together with a class of fourth graders, their teachers, members of the senior people’s club, and Toyama prefectural government staff at Matsudaehama Beach in Toyama, Japan. Participants collected marine litter at designated survey blocks (square patches of 10m by 10m) and sorted it into several categories. The litter was then counted, weighed and recorded.
49% of marine litter by number were polystyrene items and 97% of all collected litter were made of plastic. Litter with the origin in R. Korea and P.R. China was also found among collected items. Children were engaged in the presentation about the impacts of marine litter on aquatic organisms and learnt about the importance of proper garbage disposal practices. Several more marine litter surveys were organized by NPEC with local communities throughout Toyama Prefecture in September and October 2017.
NOWPAP speaks about its work with Young Leaders in the Republic of Korea
In August 2017, NOWPAP had the opportunity to speak with young leaders from Korean Universities about the importance of protecting the coastal and marine environment for future generations and its work in the NOWPAP region.
On 9 August, following the invitation of the UN Environment National Committee for the Republic of Korea, Dr. Ning Liu and Ms. Jihee Yi of the NOWPAP Regional Coordinating Unit （RCU) in Busan made a presentation on marine litter to more than 100 students of seven universities in the country at the Korea Maritime and Ocean University.
Students were encouraged to take part in the Marine Plastics Innovation Challenge, the world's first such competition for students, which was organized by UN Environment and Think Beyond Plastic, to find the next generation solutions to the global problem of marine litter. Students asked questions about environmental cooperation among NOWPAP member states and about the ways how to improve solid waste management.
On 10 August, NOWPAP staff joined the local community in removing litter from the Songdo beach in Busan. The students weighed and classified collected litter and set up exhibition booths on the beach to educate tourists on the impacts of marine litter pollution.
On 11 August, at the invitation of the Republic of Korea's Oceans and Fisheries Human Resources Development Institute, Dr. Ning Liu and Ms. Jihee Yi briefed headteachers of 23 schools in the country about the work of the NOWPAP over the past two decades. The school heads invited NOWPAP to visit their schools and explain NOWPAP work to their students.
People's Republic of China
China maps its goals for coastal clean-up
August 2 2017: In May, China's central government published its marine strategy for the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-2020), setting out broad aims and, for the first time, some binding targets.
China to set up national park system
September 27 2017: More than a year after China piloted its first national park in the Sanjiangyuan area of Qinghai Province, authorities have devised a scheme aimed at putting more of the country's areas of outstanding natural beauty under protection.
Japan
Red tide kills 270,000 puffer fish in Nagasaki
August 8 2017: About 270,000 puffer fish farmed in a bay off Nagasaki Prefecture, southwestern Japan, have died due to the outbreak of red tide, resulting in damage of around 400 million yen ($3.6 million).
Ocean Acidification harms corals: Analysed by Univertsity of Tokyo and others at Ogasawara and Amami islands
August 21, 2017: It became clear that Poritidae, a family of stoney corals that make up coral reefs in coastal waters of Japan, have started to show symptoms on its weakening skeletal formation due to ocean acidification from the increasing CO2 levels in the atmosphere.
Republic of Korea
Korea Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries conducts coastal clean-up campaign at Daecheon Beach
August 11 2017: Republic of Korea Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries conducted a coastal clean-up campaign‘Let’s Clean up the Sea, for the Clean Ocean’ a.k.a ‘Hae(海)chiooja’ Campaign on 11th at Daecheon Beach, Boryeong. The campaign aimed at raising awareness about the importance of preserving marine ecosystem and the seriousness of marine litter pollution during summer vacation season.
Russian Federation
Russian tanker sails through the Arctic without icebreaker for first time
August 24 2017: A Russian tanker has travelled through the northern sea route in record speed and without an icebreaker escort for the first time, highlighting how climate change is opening up the high Arctic.
Global Meetings
High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development
Representatives of Member States, including 77 Ministers, Cabinet Secretaries, and Deputy Ministers and nearly 2500 stakeholders participated the High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development held at the UN Headquarters in New York from 10-19 July, 2017. There was a review the progress on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and six SDGs in depth (SDG 1 - no poverty; SDG2 - zero hunger; SDG 3 - good health and well-being; SDG 5 - gender equality; SDG 9 - industry, innovation and infrastructure; and SDG 14 - life below water), 43 countries presented their Voluntary National Reviews, and a Ministerial Declaration was adopted.
Fourth International Marine Protected Areas Congress
From 4-8 Sept. 2017, over 1000 representatives from governments to civil society discussed the theme “Marine Protected Areas (MPAs): Bringing the people and ocean together” in La Serena, Chile. Participants of the high-level meeting approved a Call to Action for those present to ensure appropriate financial mechanisms for MPAs, integrate climate change considerations into MPAs and engage with women, youth and local communities to enhance MPA creation and management.
Refuse and reduce plastic bags
July 3rd was the International Plastic Bag Free Day. Each year, between 8 and 14 million tonnes of plastic ends up in the oceans, wreaking havoc on marine wildlife, fisheries and tourism, and costing at least $8 billion in damage to marine ecosystems. In the documentary movie, A Plastic Whale you will be astonished by the number of plastic bags contained in a whale’s stomach. Up to 80 per cent of all litter in our oceans is made of plastic, and more than 1 trillion plastic bags are discarded annually. Estimates show that at this rate, by 2050 oceans will carry more plastic than fish and an estimated 99 per cent of seabirds will have ingested plastic.
NOWPAP is calling for your participation in the global #CleanSeas campaign! We need your actions to refuse or reduce use of single-use plastic bags and other items!
As of October 2017, over 30 countries have formally joined the campaign, taking specific commitments at the national level: Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Finland, France, Grenada, Iceland, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, Kiribati, Madagascar, Maldives, the Netherlands, Norway, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Saint Lucia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Spain, Sweden, Uruguay, UK.
The CleanSeas Campaign has also secured key private sector partnerships, including with Parley from the Oceans, Lonely Whale Foundation, DELL, Volvo Ocean Race, 11th Hour Project, Musto and Volvo Car Corporation.
NOWPAP has taken this issue seriously, and played an important role to facilitate regional action among Member States and communities. The booklet Recycling Plastic Marine Litter was published in 2007. In 2008 after two years of implementing a special Marine Litter Activity Project, NOWPAP Regional Action Plan on Marine Litter (RAP MALI) was adopted in 2008. Since 2006, NOWPAP organizes regional workshops and International Coastal Cleanup Campaigns in Member States, recently in co-operaiton with the Tripartite Environment Ministres Meeting. In the NOWPAP region, some countries have banned free distribution of plastic bags, or developed a strategy to charge the bags at local and national levels, and such activities have been implemented from 10 years ago.
Join #BeatPollution ahead of the UN Environment Assembly!
This year’s UN Environment Assembly which will be held on December 4-6 2017, aims to deliver a number of important global commitments on pollution. Everyone can do something about pollution. Citizens can join in by committing to an action and signing the #BeatPollution pledge. Governments, businesses and civil society can register voluntary commitments.
In 2016 NOWPAP has begun an internship programme with two placements at the two NOWPAP Regional Coordinating Unit (RCU) offices in Busan and Toyama Cities. Below, you can read about our current interns, Ms. Soh Young Park and Ms. Kotoe Kuroda.
Ms. Soh Young Park, a graduate from Pukyong National University in Busan, Republic of Korea, joined the Busan office in July 2017. She is supporting the development of communications materials, including the NOWPAP website and NOWPAP social media accounts, and provides administrative support to RCU staff. “I feel grateful and it is rewarding that I have a NOWPAP RCU internship with good supervisors and colleagues to make a better environment and gain hands-on experience for my future,” says Ms. Park.
Ms. Kotoe Kuroda, an Environmental Science graduate from the University of Tokyo, joined the Toyama office in August 2017. She prepares news stories for the NOWPAP website, designs communications tools, compiles scientific reports and supports organization of the NOWPAP meetings. “The marine litter workshop was particularly interesting since representatives from each member state explained their latest marine litter research and presented unique policies to tackle marine litter,” says Ms. Kuroda.
Internship Program for 2018 opened
The Regional Coordinating Unit of the Northwest Pacific Action Plan (NOWPAP) is seeking applications from qualified candidates for two internship positions in NOWPAP offices in Toyama, Japan and Busan, Republic of Korea. The NOWPAP internship is on a non-reimbursable basis and provides selected candidates with a first-hand experience working for the United Nations in the field of environmental affairs and public communications. Applications for 2018 are opened until the posts are filled.
United Nations Environment Programme (UN Environment) Northwest Pacific Action Plan (NOWPAP) Regional Coordinating Unit, Toyama Office
5-5, Ushijima-shinmachi, Toyama-shi, Toyama, 930-0856, JapanTel：+81-76-444-1611 ／ Fax：+81-76-444-2780
United Nations Environment Programme (UN Environment) Northwest Pacific Action Plan (NOWPAP) Regional Coordinating Unit, Busan Office
152-1 Sirang-ri, Gijang-eup, Gijang-gun, Busan 619-705, Republic of Korea Tel: +82-51-720-3001 ／ Fax: +82-51-720-3009
Prepared and designed by:
Kotoe Kuroda, NOWPAP RCU Toyama Office intern
Soh Young Park, NOWPAP RCU Busan Office intern
Credits:
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