Martin Koehring | Global Sustainable Finance & Blue Economy Leader

I'm looking forward to speaking at UNIDO's Green Zone event on "Advancing Blue Industry for Sustainable Development" as part of the UN Ocean Conference in Nice. Last year I supported the United Nations Industrial Development Organization on its Blue Industry strategy.

There's no better way to start World Ocean Day than speaking at a fantastic Solution Hub on "Mainstreaming Sustainable Blue Finance" at the Blue Economy & Finance Forum in Monaco. Hosted by WWF, AXA and ORRAA, this event brought together stakeholders to discuss existing best practice and opportunities to build a sustainable blue finance ecosystem.

Excited to be in Nice from Thursday for the One Ocean Science Congress. I spoke about the financial aspects of implementing the BBNJ Agreement at an OOSC Interactive Townhall organised by UN Environment Programme.

I'm looking forward to speaking about Maritime Cooperation Safeguarding the Blue Economy and Marine Biodiversity at Circle the Med - The Mediterranean Forum in Athens on 4th June. As maritime regions face increasing environmental and security challenges, this session will explore collaborative solutions for sustainable blue growth and maritime security.

I moderated the launch webinar for the Ocean Investment Protocol, with excellent speakers from the UN Global Compact, the Marrakech Partnership for Global Climate Action, the European Investment Bank, IDB-Invest, Barclays, Lloyds of London, and Orsted. The Protocol was co-published by the UN Global Compact and UNEP FI.

Happy International Biodiversity Day, celebrating harmony with nature and sustainable development! Great to be at the National Oceanography Centre's Parliamentary reception (sponsored by Barry Gardiner MP) last night, highlighting the importance of research for ocean health, biodiversity and prosperity.

Great to be in Busan, Korea, for the Our Ocean Conference and the One Ocean Finance Busan Dialogue Series! One Ocean Finance, a financing facility for a sustainable blue future, is a planned public-private development finance mechanism being conceptualised by UNEP, UNCDF, UNDP, UN Global Compact, IUCN, ORRAA, WEF, WRI and Catalytic Finance.

This week I'll be joining a webinar organised by the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA) to speak about the blue economy and financing marine renewable energy opportunities. Fellow speakers include David Luck, Sustainability & Finance; Holly Niner, University of Plymouth; and Kris Atkinson, Fidelity International.

I'm looking forward to being in Busan, Korea, for the 10th Our Ocean Conference next week. The conference has chosen the theme 'Our Ocean, Our Action' to promote global actions for a sustainable ocean. My mission is to highlight how financial institutions can have a major impact on ocean health, prosperity and biodiversity.

Happy Earth Day! Today the Marine Conservation Society launches its Big Give appeal to keep "forever chemicals" out of the ocean, forever. If you donate before 29th April, your generosity will have twice the impact as it will be doubled through match funding!

During Economist Impact's 12th annual World Ocean Summit & Expo in Tokyo I moderated a session on "How to shape global standards for blue data, technology and capacity building". Here's my summary of the key takeaways.

Great to be back in Tokyo for Economist Impact's 12th annual World Ocean Summit & Expo. I spoke at sessions on "The zero-pollution ocean: risk and opportunities", "How to drive solutions for the success of the Global Plastics Treaty" and "How to shape global standards for blue data, technology and capacity building".

I am looking forward to speaking at Economist Impact's 12th annual World Ocean Summit & Expo in Tokyo, Japan, on 12th-13th March. I will join panels on the zero-pollution ocean, the Global Plastics Treaty and global standards for blue data, technology and capacity building.

I spoke about "Aligning investment, underwriting and lending activities with building a sustainable blue economy" at Bali Ocean Days. My contribution was part of a session on "Impact Finance for a Sustainable Blue Economy". Other sessions focused on marine conservation, technology, seafood, pollution management, and blue carbon. Here I summarise my takeaways from the event.

I'm looking forward to speaking during the "Impact Finance for a Sustainable Blue Economy" session at Bali Ocean Days! Financial institutions are critical in rebuilding ocean prosperity, restoring biodiversity and regenerating ocean health. I will look at recent development and opportunities in aligning investment, underwriting and lending activities with building a sustainable blue economy.

What a year it's been! Some of my highlights in 2024 included joining the Board of the Marine Conservation Society, joining the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) as Senior Strategic Expert in Blue Economy, having my TEDx talk published, and speaking at several major ocean and climate events such as London Climate Action Week.

As part of my role as Senior Strategic Expert in Blue Economy at the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) it was great to be at the Expert Group Meeting in Vienna. The meeting focused on how UNIDO can advance the contribution of Blue Industry (a term coined by UNIDO) to the Blue Economy agenda.

I'm delighted to join the Marine Conservation Society as a Director/Trustee! MCS is the UK's leading marine charity by and for ocean lovers. It focuses on addressing the climate crisis, protecting marine wildlife and cleaning up our ocean. It does this through a powerful combination of scientific research, advocacy, education, and community engagement.

As a key climate solution, the Ocean needs a prominent seat at COP29, where world leaders will come together to address climate change. I am looking forward to speaking at The Ocean at COP29: Navigating Climate Action, a panel discussion hosted by Acre and Ocean Generation.

During London Climate Action Week last week I was part of The C Collective's "How to become a regenerative business" event. I was joined by fellow speakers and facilitators to explore the concept of regenerative business and how to transform yourself and your organisation thanks to actionable tools such as Three Horizons.