NOWPAP RCU

At the Sixth Intergovernmental Meeting, the NOWPAP Members agreed in principle to establish a co-hosted NOWPAP Regional Coordinating Unit (RCU) in Toyama, Japan, and in Busan, Republic of Korea. Then, the NOWPAP Members reached an agreement regarding responsibilities for both the Toyama and Busan Offices at the Seventh Intergovernmental Meeting. The RCU Toyama and Busan Offices were established in November 2004. The Regional Seas Unit of UNEP (Nairobi, Kenya) functioned as the interim secretariat for NOWPAP until the establishment of the RCU.

The RCU is the nerve centre directing and promoting the NOWPAP activities. It has overall responsibility for the implementation of the NOWPAP Members’ decisions regarding the operation of the Action Plan. The RCU maintains close contacts with and supports the work of the Regional Activity Centres (RACs). Establishing cooperative relationships with other international organizations is also an important mission of the RCU.