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Global conservation leaders meet in Abu Dhabi for IUCN World Conservation Congress 2025
18 Nov 2025

Global conservation leaders meet in Abu Dhabi for IUCN World Conservation Congress 2025

The IUCN World Conservation Congress 2025, held in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, from 9-15 October 2025, brought together over 10,000 participants to shape the future of global conservation and sustainable development.

IUCN World Conservation Congress 2025

Organised by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), this year's congress made history as the first to host a World Summit of Indigenous Peoples and Nature, recognising the crucial role of Indigenous knowledge and leadership in protecting the planet. Over the course of the week, more than 1,400 sessions were conducted, gathering decision-makers from governments, civil society, academia, business and Indigenous Peoples' organisations.

The discussions centred on five major themes:

  • 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 

During the event, IUCN Members endorsed a 20-year Strategic Vision and adopted a new programme for the next four years. The Vision outlines how IUCN  is to deliver transformative change by scaling up existing efforts and tackling the root drivers of biodiversity loss across eight interconnected areas: Climate change, the energy transition, the economic and financial sectors, agriculture, water, health, cities and oceans. Her Excellency Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak was re-elected as President of the Union, alongside newly appointed members of the IUCN Commissions and Council.

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IUCN World Conservation Congress 2025

Pensoft Publishers, VALOR’s partner responsible for Work Package 7: Co-developed tools for expanded engagement and interaction, took part in the Congress with a dedicated booth showcasing their work in open science, innovative publishing, collaborative research, and science communication for EU-funded biodiversity projects. Read their full blog post depicting their experience at the congress here.