The Action Plan for the Protection, Management and Development of the Marine and Coastal Environment of the Northwest Pacific Region (NOWPAP) and three Resolutions were adopted at the First Intergovernmental Meeting (Seoul, 14 September 1994; UNEP(OCA)/NOWPAP/IG.1/5) by the States in the Northwest Pacific region: People’s Republic of China, Japan, Republic of Korea and Russian Federation (hereinafter referred to as China, Japan, Korea, Russia, respectively). Resolution 1 identified five areas of priority for implementation of the Action Plan, one of which was NOWPAP/1: Establishment of a Comprehensive Database and Information Management System.