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2nd Intergovernmental Review
of the Global Programme of Action for the Protection
of the Marine Environment from Land-Based Activities
Beijing | 16-20 October 2006
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GPA IGR-2 Opens in Beijing
The Second Intergovernmental Review (IGR-2) Meeting of the Global
Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from
Land-based Activities (GPA) opened on 16 October in Beijing, China. In
the morning, delegates convened in plenary to hear opening remarks,
address organizational matters and hold a panel on the way forward with
National Programmes of Action (NPAs). In the afternoon, delegates
participated in parallel breakout groups to address national
implementation in action. At lunchtime and in the evening, a working
group met to draft the Beijing Declaration.
Above: Veerle Vandeweerd, UNEP/GPA Coordinator, and Zhou Shengxian,
Minister, State Environmental Protection Administration, China, and IGR-2
Chairman, unveiled the conference poster after opening remarks.
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Monday, 16 October
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Opening Plenary
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Zhou Shengxian, Minister, State Environmental Protection Administration,
China, and IGR-2 Chair, noted that marine and coastal regions have taken
a prominent role in his country's development.
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Khalid Malik, UN Resident Coordinator in China, emphasized the GPA's
role in linking environment and development objectives and addressing
challenges at the national and local levels.
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Veerle Vandeweerd, Coordinator, UNEP/GPA Coordination Office, encouraged
delegates to celebrate the GPA's achievements and share experiences.
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Panel: The Way Forward with National Programmes of Action
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IGR-2 Vice-Chair Lucia Ana Varga, Romania, chaired the panel on the way
forward with NPAs.
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Pradeep Kumar Rawat, India, noted that municipal waste is the single
largest source of coastal pollution in his country and described a
national programme to treat sewage over the next five years.
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Rejoice Mabudafhasi, South Africa, described national efforts to
implement the GPA and the JPOI, including: drafting new legislation on
buffer zones to protect coastal areas; formalizing a national
operational policy on wastewater disposal; and banning off-road
vehicle use in certain coastal areas.
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Conrad Lautenbacher, United States, highlighted national and regional
achievements since IGR-1, including the adoption of a national ocean
action plan based on ecosystem approaches.
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Ian Matheson, Canada, asked panelists to elaborate on approaches to
coordinate action, citing risk-based management as an example.
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David Osborne, Australia, asked panelists to address ways to accommodate
differing community values in setting targets.
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Breakout Groups: The Way Forward with NPAs
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Chaired by Dagmara Berbalk, Germany, with Hamidreza Ghaffarzadeh, Caspian
Sea Regional Seas Programme, as rapporteur, the breakout group on
mainstreaming the GPA into national development planning discussed:
environmental impacts of ship breaking; conflicts of interest between
different sectors; the role of private sector and overseas
countries' participation; empowerment of local communities;
involvement of non-coastal source countries in GPA discussions; poverty
as a root cause of land-based sources of pollution; loans versus grants
financing; and the ecosystem approach as a key aspect of an integrated
approach.
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Chaired by Elizabeth Thompson, Barbados, with Ardi Stoios-Braken, the
Netherlands, as rapporteur, the breakout group on strengthening
legislative and institutional frameworks discussed: national political
endorsement; ways of improving coordination and regulatory tools;
incentives; a holistic approach; strategies for ensuring compliance;
risk analysis; use of monitoring systems; ways of involving civil
society and bringing together stakeholders in formulating NPAs; and the
need for qualified manpower and financial resources.
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Chaired by Magnús Jóhannesson, Iceland, with Taha Zatari,
Saudi Arabia, as rapporteur, the breakout group on financing the
implementation of the GPA discussed, inter alia: revolving funds
and repaying such funding; ensuring that regional banks prioritize
funding for environmental projects; private sector involvement, in
addition to public funding; willingness to pay when applying the
polluter-pays principle; raising community awareness; the importance of
national legislation and standards setting; and low-cost waste
management technologies.
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Beijing Declaration Working Group
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A working group met during lunchtime and in the evening to begin drafting
the Beijing Declaration. The Stakeholder Forum presented its views on
the draft elements of the declaration at the beginning of the evening
session.
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Around IGR-2
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John Matuszak, United States, conferred with Mara Angélica Murillo
Correa, Mexico.
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In the evening, China's State Environmental Protection Administration
hosted a gala reception for participants.
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The evening reception featured diverse forms of cultural entertainment,
including traditional dance.
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