BSAG, Baltic Sea Action Group is an independent foundation that, combining the resources of the public, private and third sectors, is engaged in work aimed at finding solutions to save the Baltic Sea . BSAG focuses on Baltic Sea issues such as eutrophication , the release of hazardous substances into the water, and the risks associated with shipping.
The foundation was founded by influential Finnish businessman and politician Ilkka Herlin ( Fin. Ilkka Herlin ), Saar Kankaanrinta and Anna Kotsalo-Mustonen. The fund was registered in 2008. BSAG operates throughout the Baltic Sea. The location of the fund is Helsinki .
Content
- 1 Name
- 2 Mission
- 3 Tasks
- 4 Actions
- 4.1 Obligations
- 4.2 Baltic Sea Action Summit, BSAS
- 5 notes
- 6 References
Title
The official name of the fund is the Living Baltic Fund. It has been translated into all 14 languages of the Baltic Sea basin, which also reflects the problem arising from the linguistic and cultural diversity of the region. For the sake of convenience and unity of understanding, the Living Baltic Foundation uses the working name BSAG - Baltic Sea Action Group or the Baltic Sea Action Group.
Fund Name:
- in Finnish - Elävä Itämeri säätiö;
- in English - Foundation for a Living Baltic Sea;
- in Swedish - Stiftelsen för ett levande Östersjön;
- in Russian - Living Baltic Foundation;
- in German - Stiftung Lebende Ostsee;
- in Estonian - Elava Läänemere fond;
- in Latvian - Fonds dzīvībai Baltijas jūrā;
- in Lithuanian - Gyvos Baltijos Jūros Fondas;
- in Norwegian - Stiftelsen Den levende Østersjøen;
- Danish - Foreningen for en levende Østersø;
- in Polish - Fundacja Nadzieja Dla Bałtyku;
- in Belarusian - Fundatsiya "Zhivaya Baltika";
- in Czech - Nadace pro živé Baltské moře;
- in Slovak - Nadácia na ochranu Baltického mora;
- in Ukrainian - The Living Baltic Foundation.
Mission
“Integrated approach and specific targeted actions”
The BSAG mission is to restore the ecological balance of the Baltic Sea. The role of the Fund is to unite the actions of all parties necessary to change for the better the situation in the Baltic. BSAG focuses on specific actions and collaboration based on finding solutions; projects are carried out through voluntary commitments. Parties that have accepted obligations implement projects using their own resources. The Fund draws public attention to the problems of the Baltic Sea and raises awareness in this area.
Tasks
- Bring together various stakeholders to work together to protect the Baltic Sea
- Act as a catalyst and initiator of specific projects in all problem areas of the Baltic Sea.
Actions
Important modes of action for BSAG are the collection of voluntary commitments that directly or indirectly help the Baltic Sea, as well as the Baltic Sea Action Summit (BSAS), organized at regular intervals, by the Baltic Sea Summit.
Obligations
Voluntary obligation:
- A one-time action or process, the results of which have a positive effect - direct or indirect - on the ecological state of the Baltic Sea.
- New one-time action or project. Already completed projects are not obligations.
- It is as specific as possible, with clearly defined stages of implementation.
- It can be both financial and non-financial.
- It may take the form of a one-time action, provision of technology, know-how, services, process improvement, etc.
A good commitment is quite specific, and is directly related to the main line of business, the business model, the tasks of the company, and develops them in a direction that is also important in saving the Baltic Sea.
Involvement in solving the problems of the Baltic Sea opens up new markets for the committing party and provides new business opportunities. An effective voluntary commitment is beneficial both for the Baltic Sea and for the party to the commitment. To date, about 200 commitments have been made. All of them are available in the bank of obligations on the fund's website. BSAG monitors compliance.
Baltic Sea Action Summit, BSAS
The Baltic Sea Action Summit (BSAS) was held on February 10, 2010 in Helsinki , where heads of state and government from eleven countries of the Baltic Sea were present: King of Sweden Carl XVI Gustav , Minister of the Environment of Sweden Andreas Karlgren , President of Latvia Valdis Zatlers , Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite , Prime Minister of Norway , Jens Stoltenberg , Prime Minister of Denmark, Lars Løkke Rasmussen , Prime Minister of Estonia Andrus Ansip , Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin , Deputy stitel Prime Minister of Poland Waldemar Pawlak , Minister of Agriculture of Germany, Ilse Aigner ( It. of Ilse Aigner ), Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection of Belarus Vitaly Kulik , as well as a member of the European Commission responsible for Regional Policy - Johannes Hahn ( it. Johannes Hahn ).
The Summit provided an opportunity for heads of state, regional and local authorities, companies, business leaders, non-governmental organizations and ordinary citizens to contribute to restoring the ecological balance of the Baltic Sea according to the directions outlined in the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan. The Summit was initiated by Finnish President Tarja Halonen , Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen and the Baltic Sea Action Group (BSAG).
Over 500 people participated in the Summit, and about 150 commitments were made. Each of the 11 states participating in the Helsinki Summit has made several commitments in favor of the Baltic Sea.
The BSAS process was continued: the next summit called the “Baltic Sea Summit” will be held in St. Petersburg on April 5-6, 2013 [1] .
Notes
- ↑ Helsinki Baltic Sea Summit was successful , Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland, 02/12/2010
Links
- www.bsag.fi (unavailable link) (Russian) (English) (Fin.) (Swedish)
- [1] Baltic Sea Action Summit
- Baltic Sea Action Group - for the Baltic Sea (inaccessible link) , Info-Finland