Martin Koehring 🌏 Global Blue Economy and Sustainability Expert | Ocean Futurist | Charity Board Trustee | TEDx Speaker

On 28th May, the UN Global Compact and the Sustainable Blue Economy Finance Initiative at UNEP FI will be hosting a webinar to mark the launch of the Ocean Investment Protocol - a framework to guide financial institutions, (re)insurers, ocean industries, governments and development finance institutions to lead the growth of the Sustainable Ocean Economy.

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. Representing the Sustainable Blue Economy Finance Initiative at UNEP FI, 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.

I'm delighted to join the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) as a Sustainable Blue Economy consultant! Following my time at the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), where I focused on Blue Industry, I'm looking forward to focusing on accelerating Blue Finance through UNEP FIs Sustainable Blue Economy Finance Initiative (SBE FI).

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.

During London Climate Action Week last week I spoke about the Blue Economy at the Blue Earth Forum (part of the Blue Earth Summit) that brings innovators and impact investors together. I was on a panel with Shruti Iyengar, Hanli Prinsloo and Francisco Saraiva Gomes talking about the intersection of marine conservation and industrial growth.

The ocean was on the agenda at London Climate Action Week last week, but not nearly as much as it should be given its importance as the worlds largest carbon sink and a source of crucial climate solutions. I spoke about the Ocean Changemaker Mindset at the Ocean-Climate Nexus event at London Business School.

Thrilled to announce that I will be speaking and delivering a closing keynote speech at the Ocean-Climate Nexus at London Business School next Monday 24 June as part of London Climate Action Week.

Happy World Ocean Day! I am looking forward to participating in a panel discussion on the Blue Economy at the Blue Earth Forum in London on Wednesday 26th June. The Blue Earth Forum is organised by the fantastic team behind the Blue Earth Summit and focuses on connecting business solutions with impact investment.