IUCN World Conservation Congress
The IUCN World Conservation Congress brings together leaders from governments, civil society, Indigenous Peoples’ organizations, business, and academia to set priorities, share knowledge, and define action for addressing the global biodiversity and climate crises.
About the Event
The IUCN World Conservation Congress 2025 will take place from 9 to 15 October in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Organized every four years by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), it is the world’s leading event on nature conservation, bringing together governments, civil society, Indigenous Peoples’ organizations, businesses, and academia to set priorities and define action in response to the global biodiversity and climate crises.
The Congress is structured around three core components: the Forum, where experts and practitioners exchange knowledge and explore solutions to urgent environmental challenges; the Exhibition, which showcases innovative conservation initiatives and projects from across the globe; and the Members’ Assembly, the highest decision-making body of IUCN, where more than 1,400 Member organizations debate and vote on motions that shape international conservation policy.
Programme
Under the theme “Powering transformative conservation”, the 2025 Congress will focus on how conservation can drive systemic change, ensuring both ecological impact and social equity. Participants will examine how innovative approaches—scientific, legal, financial, and institutional—can be scaled, and how diverse voices, particularly those of Indigenous Peoples and youth, can play a central role in global decision-making.
A focus of the program will be the Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystems (WEFE) Nexus, highlighting the interconnections between natural resource management, energy systems, and food security. Dedicated sessions will explore innovative approaches to balancing these critical sectors while safeguarding biodiversity and promoting equitable development.
Sessions include for example:
- 11. Oct 2025 11:00 - 11:45: From NEXUS to action: WEFE pathways for a resilient agriculture in KSRNR
- 09. Oct 2025 13:30 - 15:30: European farming Living Labs perspective for Climate Change and Biodiversity in Food System
- 09. Oct 2025 16:30 - 18:30: One Health: Tools to Integrate Human, Environmental, and Wildlife Wellbeings
More information about the programme can be found here.
Organisers
International Union for Conservation of Nature
United Arab Emirates Ministry of Climate Change and Environment
The Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi
Registration
You can register here.