IUCN World Conservation Congress 2025: Driving Global Action for Nature
The IUCN World Conservation Congress 2025 is currently underway in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, from October 9 to 15, 2025. This event is the world’s largest and most inclusive environmental decision-making forum, bringing together governments, civil society, Indigenous Peoples’ organizations, businesses, and academia.
Participants are uniting to address the planet’s most urgent environmental and development challenges, ranging from biodiversity loss to climate change and sustainable development.
About IUCN: Global Leadership in Conservation
Founded in 1948, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is the world’s largest environmental network. With over 1,400 members from more than 170 countries, IUCN’s mission is to influence, encourage, and assist societies to conserve nature and ensure sustainable use of natural resources.
The organization provides science-based tools, convenes global forums like the World Conservation Congress, and delivers critical knowledge for policy-making and on-ground conservation action.
Key Outcomes and Highlights of the Congress
Adoption of 120+ Resolutions
The Congress features a Members’ Assembly, where more than 120 motions addressing urgent conservation challenges are being voted on. These include topics like freshwater protection, biodiversity finance, sustainable food systems, and more.
Once adopted, these motions become formal IUCN resolutions and recommendations, which often influence international treaties and UN COP negotiations.
Five Critical Themes Driving Change
The Congress focuses on five interlinked themes designed to drive bold and transformative conservation:
Scaling up resilient conservation action
Reducing climate overshoot risks
Delivering on equity
Transitioning to nature-positive economies and societies
Disruptive innovation and leadership for conservation
These themes aim to elevate ambition, accelerate action, and scale collaborative solutions, ensuring sustainability efforts are equitable and just.
Showcasing Global Conservation Action
The Congress also highlights dynamic events bridging global priorities with local realities. Key initiatives include big cat protection, Indigenous leadership empowerment, biodiversity coexistence strategies, and innovative conservation funding models.
By connecting science, policy, and practice, these events demonstrate how strategies can be translated into tangible action on the ground.
Advancing Nature-Positive Finance
One of the Congress’s significant contributions is the focus on nature-positive finance. Initiatives like Nature Bonds and NatureVest are unlocking billions in conservation funding, showing how investments in nature can generate real benefits for people and the planet.
Integrating natural capital into financial systems is critical to achieving long-term sustainability goals.
Influencing Global Environmental Action
With 1,400+ members from 170+ countries, the Congress is a decision-making powerhouse. Its resolutions often shape global conservation policy and strengthen commitments to international frameworks like the Kunming-Montréal Global Biodiversity Framework, which aims to halt biodiversity loss by 2050.
Looking Ahead: A United Path Forward for Nature
The IUCN World Conservation Congress 2025 in Abu Dhabi marks a milestone in global conservation efforts. By fostering collaboration, innovation, and actionable resolutions, the Congress strengthens global commitments to nature and sustainable development.
In a world facing unprecedented ecological challenges, the Congress highlights a shared responsibility and urgent call to action: to safeguard biodiversity, mitigate climate impacts, and ensure a sustainable, equitable future for all.
