Martin Koehring - Global Sustainability and Ocean Expert

Moderating at Virtual Island Summit

On September 29th I moderated the session “How Can We Develop Blue Economy Opportunities?” at the Virtual Island Summit 2022, organised by Island Innovation. Following an opening keynote by Dr Keith Mitchell, former prime minister of Grenada, I was joined by Ruben Eiras, secretary-general of Fórum Oceano; Zaidy Afrin, SIDS SDG & blue economy researcher at the Blue Innovation Institute; Dr Shobna Shabnam, blue economy expert on islands; and Dr Ameer Ebrahim, head of Fisheries Management & Technical Fisheries at the Seychelles Fishing Authority. There was also an opportunity for attendees to submit their questions for the panel.

Watch the full session here:

You can find out more about the Virtual Island Summit here

Session description: The blue economy has become a major talking point for global islands seeking to maximise their natural resources sustainably. With nations developing their own blue economy opportunities in a range of industries, such as fisheries, shipping and tourism, the versatility and potential of local blue programmes is growing. Join this session to find out more about exciting projects being pioneered by islands.

More on the ocean economy:

Ocean Impact Podcast: how the ocean flows through all 17 of the UN SDGsMay 9, 2023
Leaving The Economist Group after 11 and a half yearsMay 3, 2023
Speaking at the 2023 Earth Day Symposium hosted by the World Business Angels Investment ForumApril 21, 2023
Article on blue carbon published in UN Today magazineApril 3, 2023
Celebrating women in the ocean economyMarch 28, 2023

Tags: Blue Economy ocean SIDS

I am Global Director of Impact at the international sustainability non-profit Forum for the Future. In this role I lead Forum’s programmatic work, with a focus on ensuring and increasing its impact on the world. I lead the Global Impact Team, which works across four geographies. For 25 years Forum has been working in partnership with business, governments and civil society to accelerate transformation to a just and regenerative future. Forum is internationally recognised for its approach to driving systems change and inspiring alternative futures.

Before joining Forum I held various leadership positions at Economist Impact, which is part of The Economist Group (publisher of The Economist newspaper). I was the head of Economist Impact’s World Ocean Initiative; led Economist Impact’s Sustainability, Climate Change and Natural Resources practice in the EMEA region; and was the editorial lead of the award-winning Sustainability Project. Over the years I have directed many sustainability-related research and thought-leadership projects with partners in business, government, academia and civil society, in areas such as food sustainability, a just energy transition and the role of business in society.

As part of my wider engagement on sustainability, I am a trustee of the New Economics Foundation (a think tank focusing on social, economic and environmental justice). I have also been a member of the Advisory Committee for the UN Environment Programme’s Global Environment Outlook for Business, a senior rapporteur at World Water Week, and a faculty member in the Food & Sustainability Certificate Program provided by the European Institute of Innovation for Sustainability.

Copyright Martin Koehring 2021. All rights reserved.