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The meeting was held in the historical Ulriksdal Palace in the presence of HRH Prince Carl Philip, Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹ûÏÖ³¡Ö±²¥ Patron of Nature, Karolina Skog, Minister for the Environment, Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹ûÏÖ³¡Ö±²¥â€™s Director General, Inger Andersen and Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹ûÏÖ³¡Ö±²¥ Members from Sweden.

The event was opened by Prince Carl Philip who welcomed participants. He spoke of how fatherhood had deepened his interest and engagement in nature conservation and the need for urgent action.Ìý He also reiterated his commitment as an Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹ûÏÖ³¡Ö±²¥ Patron of Nature. Ìý

This was followed by keynote speeches by Minister Karolina Skog, Inger Andersen, Sweden Youth Campaigner/Blogger Rebecka le Moine, Johanna Sandahl, Chairman of the Nature Conservation Association, a Founding Member of Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹ûÏÖ³¡Ö±²¥, and Maria van Berlekom, Sida’s Lead Policy Specialist for Environment and Climate Change – reflecting on what has been achieved to date, challenges being faced and what is needed to move forward.

As part of the celebrations and as a demonstration of their desire to collaborate to successfully deliver the Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹ûÏÖ³¡Ö±²¥ 2017-2020 Programme objectives, all Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹ûÏÖ³¡Ö±²¥ Members present pledged a number of commitments to be achieved by 2020. These included:

• Investment in science and knowledge (e.g. Red List by 2020)
• Achieve strong societal impact
• Increase protected areasÌý
• Eradicate alien invasive species
• Engage youth through education
• 150 hectares of forest land protected
• Marine conservation in areas beyond national jurisdiction

Earlier in the day, participants enjoyed a guided tour of the municipal nature reserve Igelbäcken with local students presenting their work.Ìý The event closed with a celebratory dinner hosted by Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹ûÏÖ³¡Ö±²¥â€™s Member, the Skansen Foundation and the Baltic 2020 Initiative.

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