Baltic Marine Environment
Protection Commission

Federal Minister of Germany, Steffi Lemke to open the Side Event, Delivering global commitments in the Baltic Sea Region

Ms Steffi Lemke, Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection, Germany will be among the high-level representatives opening the Side Event on 30 June 2022, taking place during the UN Ocean Conference in Lisbon, Portugal.

Ms Lemke will be joined by Ms Terhi Lehtonen, Vice-Minister of the Ministry of the Environment of Finland, as well as Mr. Antti Tooming, Deputy Secretary General, from the Ministry of the Environment of Estonia.

One key aim of the event is to present marine protection as a concrete example of the instrumental role of the regional sea conventions in implementing Sustainable Development Goal 14 – Life under water – in particular and other global commitments in general, at the macro-regional and sea-basin levels.

HELCOM achievements in delivering global goals

A brand new video exhibits the many sides of HELCOM work, from the vision and goals to strategic tools and concrete work, and how it all delivers to reaching SDG 14 – Life under water.

The 75-minute side event will present HELCOM’s Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP) 2021–2030 as a best practice example for an ecosystem-based approach to marine management from science to action. The BSAP provides concrete tools for reaching the regional commitments, such as the establishment of a coherent MPA network, which has made substantial progress in the Baltic Sea Region. Moreover, the growing importance of the so called Other Effective Conservation Measures (OECMs) will be explored as a more novel method to holistically conserve biodiversity.

Main organizers of the event are the Ministries of the Environment of Estonia and Germany (HELCOM Chair).

UN Ocean Conference, postponed due to the covid pandemic, will be held in Lisbon, Portugal from 27 June until 1 July, 2022.

Please find here more information about the event and stay tuned for updates!