In a show of global solidarity for nature, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) closed its 2025 World Conservation Congress in Abu Dhabi with a unified call for transformative action.
The event brought together more than 10,000 delegates from governments, indigenous communities, civil society, science, business and youth organisations.
Dr Grethel Aguilar, IUCN director general, described the congress, which began last week in the UAE capital, as a moment of hope.
“There are moments in history when humanity comes together out of hope for what we can change, what we can reimagine and build together and, most of all, what legacy we can leave behind when we stand united as one voice for nature,” she said. “This congress has been one of those amazing moments.”
It delivered a programme of more than 1,000 events and marked several important firsts: the first Indigenous Peoples Summit and its certification under the ISO 20121 standard for sustainable event management.
The gathering culminated in the adoption of more than 148 motions and a new 20-year strategic vision.
“It has been a moment of a global alliance and unity,” said Dr Shaikha Salem Al Dhaheri, secretary general of the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi, in her closing remarks.
“The very essence of this congress and what IUCN stands for together: we have chartered a clear, ambitious path for the planet's future, one that integrates nature, climate and human progress into a unified goal.”
She announced the expansion of the Zayed Network of Protected Areas, adding seven sites and raising Abu Dhabi’s protected land to 20 per cent from 15 per cent, a major milestone for biodiversity in the Gulf region.
“We are at the tipping point,” Dr Al Dhaheri told delegates. “This congress is a wake-up call, a call to save our planet, the Abu Dhabi call to action: one nature, one humanity and one future.”
Conservation scientists and NGOs applauded the congress’s science-based outcomes. The Wildlife Conservation Society welcomed resolutions on ecological integrity and One Health – an integrated UN programme to sustainably promote the health of humans, animals and their ecosystems, tackle environmental crime and the responsible use of synthetic biology.
Dr Susan Lieberman, the society's vice president for international policy, said the congress reflected the “urgency of today’s conservation challenges” and praised the commitment to indigenous peoples’ rights and leadership as “essential to any durable conservation agenda”.
While celebrations marked the conclusion of the congress, the tone remained one of urgent resolve. With only five years remaining to meet the goals of the Global Biodiversity Framework and Paris Agreement, both Dr Aguilar and Dr Al Dhaheri underscored the need for continued courage and collaboration.
“This is our moment of reckoning,” said Dr Al Dhaheri.
As delegates return home, the challenge will be turning resolutions into action.
IUCN World Conservation Congress – in pictures
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The opening ceremony of the IUCN's World Conservation Congress takes place at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (Adnec). All photos: Victor Besa / The National -
Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, at the congress -
Princess Lalla Hasnaa of Morocco speaking at the event, which aims to raise awareness of pressing environmental challenges and threats to biodiversity -
IUCN President Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak -
Attendees include leaders from government, science, business and indigenous communities -
Surangel S Whipps, President of Palau -
Participants in the opening ceremony. Organisers expect the congress, from October 9-15, to draw 10,000 visitors -
Minister of Climate Change and Environment Dr Amna Al Dahak -
Visitors to the congress have travelled from as far afield as Colombia and Peru -
The UAE has set up a pavilion at the World Conservation Congress -
The Russian pavilion at the event in Abu Dhabi -
Visitors from Kenya and India at the conservation event
