Baltic Marine Environment
Protection Commission

 

Baltic Marine Environment
Protection Commission

Baltic Stakeholder Conference 2023

Implementing the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP), aiming for a healthy Baltic Sea, is a demanding – but feasible – task. We need all sectors on board in reaching each one of the ambitious targets, which cover a very wide range of topics.

The aim of the Baltic Stakeholder Conference 2023 (BSC2023) was to harvest ideas from stakeholders around the sea – and beyond – for accelerating the implementation of the BSAP and finding solutions for both long-standing and emerging challenges as well as to share examples to inspire others. All participants were encouraged to think outside the box! The Conference was hosted by Latvia.

Memo

Programme (includes links to presentations)

Moderator: Sandra Kropa, environmental journalist, Latvia

10.00 – 10.10Welcome
Opening remarks, Evija Šmite, HELCOM Chair
10.10 – 10.30Youth Q&A:
What is really being done for improving the state of the Baltic Sea?
Pauliuss Kliucininkas and Josefine Gottschalk, Baltic Sea Youth Advocacy Working Group coordinated by the Council of the Baltic Sea States

Answers by
Marie Louise Krawack, Former Chair of HELCOM Working Group on the State of the Environment and Nature Conservation
Lars Sonesten, Former Chair of HELCOM Working Group on the Reduction of Pressures from the Baltic Sea Catchment Area
10.30 – 11.30BLOCK 1: RAISING AWARENESS
What if people just don’t know – or care – enough? – Awareness raising and accelerating actions for the Baltic Sea
Increasing awareness – the ethical side
Olle Torpman, Institute for Future Studies, Stockholm, Sweden (video recording)
Baltic Sea Farmer Award – how to build longer-term engagement
Hannah Griffiths Berggren, WWF Baltic Ecoregion Programme
How to make citizen science blossom: algae sightings in Finland
Matti Lindholm, Finnish Environment Institute (Syke)
11.30 – 12.30BLOCK 2: MUNICIPAL LEVEL IMPLEMENTATION
How is the local level taking up the challenge? – Municipal and sub-national action hitting the BSAP targets
Multiplying Smart water management: how the cities have spearheaded action
Agnieszka Ilola, Union of the Baltic Cities (UBC), Smart Water Hub
Cut back chemical pollution – municipalities taking action
Heidrun Fammler, Baltic Environmental Forum (BEF) Germany
BSAP certainly can be mirrored sub-nationally: the success of the local BSAPs
Mari Savela and Milla Stenström, Baltic Sea Challenge, City of Helsinki
12.30 – 13.30Lunch
13.30 – 14.30BLOCK 3: PRIVATE SECTOR COOPERATION
How about all the buzz outside the public sector? – Private sector cooperation and the BSAP
We all want less marine litter in the Baltic Sea: cooperation is key
Chresten Heide-Anderson, member of the EUMEPS Board of Directors; Director General of the Danish EPS Association
Discharge or recharge – ship-generated waste turned into energy
Elisa Mikkolainen, Baltic Sea Action Group
How can the private sector contribute to reaching the conservation goals of the Baltic Sea?
Markku Viitasalo, Finnish Environment Institute (Syke)
14.30 – 15.30BLOCK 4: FINANCING
We need money to get many of these things done – Financing the actions: is it steered right? And should there be more?
Nutrient input bonds: Impact-based financing – the Archipelago Sea example
Pekka Salminen, Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment (Ely-keskus), Southwest Finland
Panel discussion
Johanna Fox, WWF Baltic Ecoregion Programme
Christopher Flensborg, SEB
Mikko Halonen, Gaia Consulting Ltd.
Lasma Livzeniece, Latvian Wind Energy Association
15.30 – 15.50Event pre-survey results and wrap-up
15.50 –
16.00
Closing words, Rüdiger Strempel, HELCOM Executive Secretary

Additional materials

Contact

Mock Employee
Laura Meski

Associate Professional Secretary
laura.meski@helcom.fi,
+358 40 820 1725

Mock Employee
Susanna Kaasinen

Associate Professional Secretary
susanna.kaasinen@helcom.fi,
+358  40 536 5819