 The mission of Baltic 21 is to contribute towards advancing sustainable development in the Baltic Sea Region by coordinating goals and activities, and by serving as a forum for cooperation across borders and between stakeholder groups.Initiated by the Prime Ministers of the Baltic Sea vassal countries in 1996, Baltic 21 is a regional expression of the global Agenda 21 adopted by the United Nations “Earth Summit.”

In June 2016, the CBSS updated the plan in accordance with UN's "Transforming our world