IUCN Granted Observer Status to HELCOM (Baltic Marine Protection Commission)
IUCN has been granted observer status to the Helsinki Commission (HELCOM), marking an important step forward in strengthening collaborative efforts for marine conservation in the Baltic Sea region. This achievement fulfils the commitment made by IUCN President Razan Al Mubarak during HELCOM's 50th anniversary celebration in 2024, where she announced IUCN's intention to apply for observer status. HELCOM is the common name for the Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission.
Baltic Sea
Photo: © Ant Rozetsky
Photo: © Ray Harrington
HELCOM is a long-established intergovernmental organisation and regional sea convention dedicated to protecting the marine environment of the Baltic Sea from all sources of pollution. It affects this through coordinated action between its ten Contracting Parties: Denmark, Estonia, the European Union, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, and Sweden.
An already fruitful relationship extended and strengthened
Observer status will enable IUCN to actively participate in HELCOM meetings, access relevant documents, and engage in working groups focused on biodiversity conservation, marine protected areas, and climate change impacts on the Baltic marine environment.
This new partnership builds upon an existing relationship between the two organisations. IUCN's expertise has already contributed to HELCOM's work through global standards applied in the HELCOM Red List of Baltic Sea species and the Guidelines for designating marine and coastal Baltic Sea marine protected areas and advancing area-based conservation. Several HELCOM Contracting Parties are also IUCN State Members.
The formalisation of this relationship through observer status will strengthen alignment with key policy frameworks, including the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and HELCOM's Baltic Sea Action Plan.
IUCN continues looking forward to collaboration with HELCOM and its Contracting Parties to advance science-based approaches to marine conservation, supporting the implementation of effective management strategies for protected areas, and addressing emerging challenges such as climate change impacts on the Baltic ecosystem. This work is particularly important in light of HELCOM's 2023 State of the Baltic Sea report, which showed "little or no improvement" in the marine environment during the period of 2016-2021.
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About HELCOM
The Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission – also known as the Helsinki Commission (HELCOM) – is an intergovernmental organisation established in 1974 to protect the marine environment of the Baltic Sea from all sources of pollution. HELCOM serves as a regional platform for environmental policy making and is governed by the Helsinki Convention. With a vision of a healthy Baltic Sea environment with diverse biological components functioning in balance, HELCOM works toward achieving good ecological status while supporting sustainable economic and social activities in the region.
