XIX International Environmental Forum "Baltic Sea Day"

22-23 March 2018, St. Petersburg

Local BSAP – the role of municipalities in implementation of the HELCOM BSAP

Baltic Sea Challenge co-organised a roundtable (parallell session) on 22 March 2018 with UBC and RFTB on local Baltic Sea Action Plans as part of the Baltic Sea Day event in St. Petersburg. The roundtable explored how strategic water protection at the municipal level is enhanced and supported by international collaboration.

The roundtable highlighted how international collaboration amongst Union of the Baltic Cities, Baltic Sea Challenge and Race for the Baltic supports municipalities to develop and implement local Baltic Sea Action Plans. These networks and initiatives provide a comprehensive support base for municipalities in the Baltic Sea Region to take “voluntary-based” initiatives for a clean and prosperous Baltic Sea.

We also examined possibilities for increasing international collaboration and engagement regarding the role municipalities can play to implement the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan.

Check the outcome of the Rountable here!

Program

Moderators: Olli-Pekka Mäki (City of Turku) and Jari-Pekka Pääkkönen (City of Helsinki)

14.30–14.50    Welcome and Introduction; Goals of the Round Table

  • Ivan Serebritsky, Committee for Nature Use, Environmental Protection and Ecological Safety of St. Petersburg
  • HELCOM BSAP and municipalities, setting the scene: Lars Sonesten, the Chair of HELCOM PRESSURE group/Sara Estlander, HELCOM Secretariat

Session 1: The frameworks and networks in local municipal Baltic Sea work

  • 14.50-15.10 Union of the Baltic Cities, Sustainable Cities Commission: 25 years of city networking, Björn Grönholm, UBC
  • 15.10-15.30 Baltic Sea Challenge network and initiative: Sparking local water protection work with network power, Lotta Ruokanen, Baltic Sea Challenge
  • First panel discussion with Baltic Sea Challenge and Race for the Baltic. Photo: Sara Estlander.
    15.30-15.50  Race for the Baltic: Baltic Sea City Accelerator – using a business and change management lens to address local water challenges and capture socio-economic and environmental benefits, Marc Klaus, Race For The Baltic
  • 15.50-16.30 Panel discussion: How to harness international collaboration for strategic water protection in municipalities? Facilitated by Lars Sonesten, HELCOM PRESSURE group 16.30-17.00 Coffee break

Session 2: Examples of active municipalities and their BSAPs

  • 17.00-17.10  Panevezys (Lithuania), Dalia Gurskiene, Panevezys city municipality
  • 17.10-17.20  Kalmar (Sweden), Karin Löfström, Kalmar Municipality
  • 17.20-17.30  Slupsk (Poland), Dariusz Szwed, City of Słupsk
  • 17.30-17.40  Växjö (Sweden), Andreas Hedrén, Växjö Municipality
  • 17.40-18.20  Panel discussion: HELCOM supporting municipalities’ engagement to local implementation of international water protection goals, Facilitated by Carla Alexandra, Race For The Baltic
Panel2_900px_WP_20180322_17_59_37_Pro
Second panel discussion with cities and their local BSAPs.

Check the Baltic Sea Day 2018 program and Roundtable 2. Local BSAPs program as pdf.

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