Terms of Reference
for the Marine Environmental Emergency Preparedness
and Response Regional Activity Centre (NOWPAP MERRAC)

Updated on June 2008

• (a) To maintain contacts with the members of the NOWPAP MERRAC Focal Points Meeting, and also relevant national/regional/international institutions/organizations in the NOWPAP member States for achieving the designated objectives and tasks of the Action Plan as mentioned above;
• (b) To assist the member States in hosting of the meetings of the MERRAC Focal Points meetings, and Expert meetings, in line with the timetable agreed upon among the member States at the Intergovernmental Meetings;
• (c) To function as secretariat for the MERRAC Focal Points Meeting with technical assistance from UNEP and IMO;
• (d) To organize meetings, symposiums and missions in the field, useful for achieving the designated objectives and tasks of the Action Plan, which are mentioned above. The meetings and international conferences organized by the Regional Activity Centre and financed with the Trust Fund are open to representatives designated by the competent authorities of the NOWPAP member States;
• (e)To keep close contacts with other regional programmes, so that coordination and cooperation with these programmes would be enhanced;
• (f) To oversee intersessional tasks and work designated by the MERRAC Focal Points Meeting and carried out during the MERRAC Focal Points Meetings;
• (g) To compile and store results of the tasks of the MERRAC Focal Points Meeting as set out in the Terms of Reference for the MERRAC Focal Points Meeting;
• (h) To maintain the NOWPAP MERRAC homepage for effective exchange of information on the work of the MERRAC Focal Points Meeting;
• (i) To collect and compile information on pollution reporting and to function as mediator to pass such reporting to relevant national institutions;
• (j) To provide technical advice to the participating institutions on technical issues relevant to marine pollution preparedness and response;
• (k) To plan and organize training courses and relevant technical workshops, in consultation with competent national training institutions in the NOWPAP member States, as deemed necessary by the MERRAC Focal Points Meeting, taking into consideration the IMO model courses;
• (l) To publish technical publications, manuals and newsletters, etc. as results of the MERRAC Focal Points Meeting;
• (m) To summarize the work of the Regional Activity Centre and to report to the NOWPAP Intergovernmental Meetings on its progress, results and expenditure;
• (n) To gather relevant information contributing to the implementation of NOWPAP/4 and to communicate it, upon request, to the members of the MERRAC Focal Points Meeting;
• (o) To collect information on technologies and leading-edge know-how in the field of marine pollution preparedness and response in the NOWPAP region and to transfer it to the members of the MERRAC Focal Points Meeting;
• (p) To encourage the harmonization of approaches and methodologies utilized for marine pollution preparedness and response;
• (q) To review and, in consultation with NOWPAP RCU, take any other appropriate initiatives for achieving the designated objectives and tasks of the Action Plan, which are mentioned above;
• (r) To disseminate information and raise public awareness, in particular, that of populations directly concerned with marine pollution preparedness and response in the NOWPAP region;
• (s) To mobilize human, financial and material means and resources in order to meet, where appropriate, the requests of members of the MERRAC Focal Points Meeting; and
• (t) To carry out any other tasks that are requested by the MERRAC Focal Points Meeting to achieve the designated objectives and tasks of the Action Plan, as mentioned above.