The IUCN World Conservation Congress brings together key stakeholders from around the world to set priorities and drive actions in conservation and sustainable development. It is the largest global event focused on science, practice, and policy of conservation and sustainability. Scientists, policy experts, business leaders, and professionals from across the globe gather to share experiences, innovations, and the latest research.

The opening of the IUCN World Conservation Congress was inaugurated by His Highness Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council.

The ceremony featured global conservation leaders, including His Excellency Surangel Whipps Jr., President of the Republic of Palau; Her Royal Highness Princess Lalla Hasna; His Excellency Juan Carlos Navarro, Panama’s Minister of Environment; Dr. Sylvia Earle, IUCN Patron of Nature and Founder of Mission Blue; Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, UN Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Executive Director of UNEP; Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak, IUCN President; and Dr. Grethel Aguilar, IUCN Director General. Their remarks underscored the urgency of collective action to protect ecosystems and advance the Global Biodiversity Framework.

CNVP, an active member of IUCN, is represented at this major event by Mr. Nehat Ramadani, CNVP’s Country Director and Executive Board Member.

The world stands at a critical juncture after decades of conservation efforts. Climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution, and global health crises are being compounded by increasing political and socio-economic instability worldwide.

With only five years remaining until the 2030 deadline for the Paris Agreement, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the Global Biodiversity Framework, the IUCN Congress 2025 in Abu Dhabi (9–15 October) emerges as a pivotal opportunity to raise ambition, accelerate action, and scale up collaborative solutions. These efforts aim to meet the needs of both nature and people, ensuring that sustainability is pursued in an equitable and just manner.

IUCN’s first Philanthropy for Nature Summit was held on the eve of the World Conservation Congress, providing a unique platform to mobilise philanthropic capital for a nature-positive future.

"The inaugural IUCN Philanthropy Summit has laid the groundwork for stronger collaboration and new alliances among like-minded philanthropists. This marks the beginning of a new chapter - one where philanthropy helps shape the future of conservation and fosters a nature-positive, climate-resilient world for generations to come," said Dr Grethel Aguilar, IUCN Director General.

The Summit highlighted the value of cross-sectoral partnerships, engaging governments, the private sector, local communities, youth, and Indigenous knowledge holders from around the world.

The IUCN World Conservation Congress, is held every four years. It plays a key role in shaping global priorities for nature conservation and climate action for the next decade and beyond.

The IUCN Congress will feature the Members’ Assembly – the highest decision-making body of IUCN. Members will debate and vote on draft motions, which, when adopted, become Resolutions and Recommendations, forming the core body of IUCN’s policy and programme. These decisions will help drive action on nature loss and other global challenges.

A series of summits are also taking place across the opening days of the event, including: The first World Summit of Indigenous Peoples and Nature, a Business Summit, a Youth Summit, a Philanthropy Summit and the 3^rd MENA Oceans Summit.