The 21st annual meeting was held from 3 - 5 October 2019 in Berlin, Germany. It was hosted by the Secretariat of the Helsinki Convention and back-to-back with the Marine Regions Forum which was hosted by the Partnership for Regional Ocean Governance (PROG) from 30 September to 2 October 2019 in Berlin, Germany. At the 21st Meeting of the Regional Seas Programme, the meeting discussed progress on Regional Seas Strategic Directions 2017-2020 and focus after 2020; implementation of voluntary commitments from the 2017 UN Ocean Conference and preparation towards the 2020 UN Ocean Conference; reviewed progress on implementation of SDG 14; the new Marine and Coastal Strategy for UNEP 2020-2030 ; new emerging issues.The annual global meeting of the Regional Seas Programme organized by UNEP is a coordination mechanism of the eighteen (18) Regional Seas Conventions and Action Plans. This meeting provides a platform for adoption of Global strategies for cooperation, channeling UNEP programmatic support to the Regional Seas Conventions and Action Plans, particularly in areas complementary to the UNEP programme of work and strengthening linkages between the Regional Seas Conventions and Action Plans and other relevant global conventions and agreements.