(MENAFN- Mid-East Info) IUCN World Conservation Congress 2025 closes with bold commitments, new strategies, and a united vision for people and planet

Abu Dhabi,October 2025 – The IUCN World Conservation Congress 2025 concluded in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates with more than 10,000 participants in person and online from over 189 countries uniting behind a powerful Call to Action for Nature. Delegates from governments, civil society, Indigenous Peoples, business, academia, and faith traditions agreed the world stands at a critical juncture – with biodiversity loss, climate change, pollution, and ecosystem collapse threatening the systems on which all life depends.

Participants agreed that nature continues to face challenges, despite decades of environmental efforts. The crises of climate change, biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse, pollution, and global health continue to be exacerbated by the over-exploitation of the planet's resources and rising global instability. This negatively impacts natural and environmental systems and threatens the future of humanity. In light of these challenges, participants called upon the international community to take immediate action across all sectors to change this course and secure a better future for people and nature.

The Congress underscored that, with just five years left to meet the 2030 targets under the Paris Agreement, Sustainable Development Goals, and Global Biodiversity Framework, immediate, bold action is required. From the UAE, the conservation community drew a line in the sand: accelerating ambition, scaling collective action, and aligning resources to secure a nature-positive, climate-resilient, and just future.

Her Excellency Dr Amna bint Abdulla Al Dahak, Minister of Climate Change and Environment said:“By hosting the IUCN World Conservation Congress in the UAE, we have worked on bridging global ambition and tangible action for nature and people. We have also ensured all stakeholders including governments, civil society organisations, youth and indigenous peoples had a voice, so that practical solutions place nature and the environment at the centre of global development now and in the future. Today's Call to Action for Nature marks a new chapter in our efforts to restore the natural world. The Congress's legacy will be defined by the actions we take together from now on, building a nature-positive future for all.”

Her Excellency added:“The UAE's initiatives underscore our commitment to driving IUCN conversations into tangible outcomes. The Ministry of Climate Change and Environment's launch of the Arabic edition of the 'Global Standard for the Identification of Key Biodiversity Areas' will have a very significant impact in empowering researchers and specialists in Arab nations with the scientific tools needed to protect our region's shared natural heritage. Furthermore, the launch of the 'Building Climate Resilient Programme' by Emirates Nature-WWF with Asia-Pacific partners enhances our role in incubating cross-border solutions to shared challenges. These efforts highlight the UAE's role as a proactive partner in protecting nature and ensuring human prosperity, fostering collaboration and knowledge sharing to build a sustainable future for all.”

Her Excellency Razan Al Mubarak, President of IUCN, said:“The Congress in the UAE has shown that when governments, civil society, business, and Indigenous Peoples unite, we can chart a new course for humanity and nature. The Call to Action is not a closing statement – it is a beginning. Environmental stewardship is recognised not as a cost, but as the wisest investment in our collective future.”

Her Excellency Dr Shaikha Salem Al Dhaheri, Secretary-General of the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi, said:“The success of the IUCN World Conservation Congress 2025 stands as a proud moment for the UAE and for all those who believe in the power of collective action for nature. This Congress has not only showcased the UAE's long-standing commitment to protecting biodiversity, but also reaffirmed that progress is possible when knowledge, innovation, and collaboration come together. For the UAE, the newly launched NatureX initiative and the official declaration that the Zayed Network of Protected Areas has added seven new protected areas in Abu Dhabi, increasing the percentage of protected areas in the Emirate from 15% to 20% of its total area, are transformational steps to keep us at the forefront of global conservation.”

Efforts by the global conservation community have shown that collective, multilateral actions can bring about positive outcomes for nature. Global society can and must all work together to do far more, leveraging the unique structure and power of the Union, including States and government agencies, NGOs, Indigenous Peoples' organisations, Commissions and global Secretariat, to deliver a shared vision of a just world that values and conserves nature.

Speaking at the closing, IUCN Director General, Dr Grethel Aguilar said:“This Congress has been a testament to the power of collaboration, teamwork and commitment... From Abu Dhabi, we send a clear and united message. We are one Union determined to turn the tide. Let us leave this Congress with renewed hope and determination - to stand for life, to act for nature, and to build a future where people and planet thrive together.”

The World Conservation Congress in the UAE calls upon the global community, with the leadership and support of IUCN, to catalyse powerful action in five key directions for the future of the planet and its peoples:

Reaffirming nature as the foundation of human and planetary well-being. The call for continued and increased commitment to protecting, restoring, and conserving the vast diversity of life on earth, in its own right and as the basis for all human well-being and economic development. To this end, we need to scale up efforts to protect, conserve and restore the integrity of ecosystems.

Strengthening multilateralism and the power of collective action, cooperation, and leadership. The call for scaling up joint, collective, and effective action, ensuring that every sector of society is involved and strategically aligned to press for change, and to promote cooperation globally and regionally. IUCN will continue to lead the way, through its policy, advocacy and convening role.

Ensuring inclusive and equitable participation by the whole of society. Call upon people, communities, and nations to rise above differences and divisions, and face up to the existential threats to nature, our planet, and humanity, towards the IUCN mission of a just world that values and conserves nature.

Advancing science, knowledge, and innovation for action. The call for the global community to build on our extensive heritage of the science and traditional knowledge of biodiversity, society, and economy, enriched by our diversity of thought, experiences, and knowledge systems, to provide a strong foundation for predictive, responsive, and defensible actions, for nature, and for the common good.

Scaling up and aligning resources for nature. We highlight that the alignment of resources towards our common goals, and the realignment of financial flows away from life-threatening exploitation of wildlife and natural resources across our planet for the benefit of the few, towards a regenerative, equitable, and sustainable economy on land, water, and the ocean that protects nature and benefits all.

Turning intentions into action, the IUCN World Conservation Congress:

Adopted a new 20-year Strategic Vision, committing“to influence, encourage and assist societies throughout the world to conserve the integrity and diversity of nature and ensure that any use of natural resources is both equitable and ecologically sustainable”, by conserving biodiversity effectively; addressing the interconnectedness between biodiversity, water, food, health, and climate change to ensure nature continues to support all life on the planet; and advancing a more just and equitable society. Solutions lie in combatting biodiversity loss and the impacts of other change processes in a more integrated manner.

Approved a bold new IUCN Quadrennial Programme for 2026-2029 to continue to lead and influence the global environmental agenda, with actionable outputs and outcomes that will help guide every component of the Union to achieve measurable impact.

The Congress adopted 148 motions on a wide range of critical issues to address and strengthen action on nature-based solutions, One Health, the nexus between the climate and biodiversity crises, combatting crimes that affect the environment (including wildlife trafficking and illegal fisheries), policies on Synthetic Biology, to name a few.

Summits and initiatives:

High-level summits – including the Philanthropy Summit, Business Summit, Indigenous Peoples' Summit, Youth Summit, and the MENA Oceans Summit – advanced commitments that mobilise resources, innovation, and community-led conservation.

The week also saw the launch of standout initiatives designed to expand financing for nature-based solutions, strengthen rights-based conservation, and empower local communities to take direct action.

The Congress committed to initiating bold new dialogues with constituencies who are essential to achieving conservation and societal outcomes. The main initiatives include:

• Reaffirmation of the UAE National Biodiversity Strategy 2031, with new commitments to expand protected areas and accelerate ecosystem restoration.
• Launch of the NatureX Abu Dhabi initiative, committing over 100 million U.S. dollars to back projects utilising advanced technology and artificial intelligence to protect natural species and enhance crucial habitats.
• Launch of the Building Climate Resilient Programme, a new regional adaptation initiative by Emirates Nature–WWF, incubated in the UAE with Asia-Pacific partners.
• Launch of the World Bank Report: Continental Drying – A Threat to Our Common Future, hosted by UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA).
• Launch of the Arabic edition of the Global Standard for the Identification of the Key Biodiversity Areas (KBA) to empower Arabic speaking nations with the science needed to conduct biodiversity assessments and protect the region's shared natural heritage.
• Launch of the IUCN World Heritage Outlook Report, identifying action pathways for threatened natural World Heritage Sites.
• Presentation of global awards recognising innovation and collaboration; IUCN Tech4Nature Award; World Future Policy Award and International Ranger Awards
• Launch of the Nature-based Education Facility, backed by a $10 million in-kind contribution from Esri to expand access to environmental learning tools and geospatial technologies.
• Release of the new IUCN Flagship Report: Feeding the World While Restoring Nature.
• 'From Space to Sustainability' collaboration by MOCCAE, showcasing the use of ArabSat 813 and HyperX hyperspectral satellite systems for global environmental monitoring.
• Launch of the GEF Small Grants Programme CSO Challenge, enabling community and NGO-driven biodiversity financing.
• Launch of the OlmoEarth Earth Intelligence Platform, using AI to integrate satellite, radar and climate data for conservation decision-making.
• Launch of the WALD Innovation Facility, designed to scale nature-positive technologies and startups.
• Announcement of Tech4Nature Award Winners, celebrating successful AI-powered conservation applications.
• Launch of the“Habitats Across Borders” Initiative, establishing new transboundary biological corridors across Europe and Latin America.
• Publication of IUCN's Rewilding Guidelines.
• Expansion of the Green List Mentor Training Programme, to accelerate capacity building in protected area management worldwide.
• Announcement of Panama as the host of the next World Protected and Conserved Areas Congress – a major IUCN global decision.

A global call for action:

Realising the catalytic power of the Union, with all components acting together with resolve and determination, the IUCN World Conservation Congress undertook to embrace and expand the reach of multilateral cooperation, to accelerate collective action for nature. It called upon all nations and stakeholders to work together to move forward from the UAE with renewed resolve to turn the tide for nature, and towards a safer, more just, and sustainable future for all.

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