The opening 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.
The IUCN Congress, which is taking place from 9 to 15 October, this year brings together more than 10,000 attendees (on site and virtually) including decision-makers from government, civil society, Indigenous Peoples' Organisations, academia, and business to advance and set the conservation and sustainable development agenda for decades to come.
Held every four years, the Congress enables IUCN's more than 1,400 Member organisations to democratically determine the most pressing issues in nature conservation and actions to address them to help guide humanity’s relationship with our planet.
Her Excellency Dr Amna bint Abdullah Al Dahak, UAE Minister of Climate Change and Environment, said: “Every day, the UAE affirms its pioneering role as a global driver of innovative solutions and comprehensive sustainability for all peoples. This approach is embodied in hosting the IUCN World Conservation Congress, a milestone event in global efforts to place nature at the heart of our development systems and achieve greater prosperity. Supported by wise leadership, the UAE has a distinguished record in nature protection, reflecting a deep-rooted legacy of the Emirati people's relationship with their environment, which continues today through the National Biodiversity Strategy 2031. This strategy aims to promote nature-based solutions, restore ecosystems, protect endangered species, and expand nature reserves, which now cover more than 15% of the country.”
“This Congress is a reminder that the well-being of people and the well-being of nature are inseparable. We understand more than ever how deeply our lives depend on the natural world, yet we continue to act as if we are apart from it. Here in Abu Dhabi, we have the chance to turn understanding into unity, and unity into action. The decisions taken this week will determine whether we meet the moment with courage and cooperation. If we succeed, this Congress will show that science, inclusion, and shared purpose can still guide humanity toward a future where both people and nature thrive,” Her Excellency Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak, IUCN President, said.
The Congress is also the largest marketplace for conservation and sustainable development science, practice, and policy. Scientists, policy experts, business leaders and professionals from around the globe share their experience, innovation and latest research.
Her Excellency Dr Shaikha Salem Al Dhaheri, Secretary-General of the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi, said: “Hosting this Congress in Abu Dhabi is both a privilege and a responsibility. The UAE’s journey shows how science, innovation, and international cooperation can transform challenges into shared victories - from restoring more than four million corals and planting 50 million mangroves, to reintroducing the Arabian Oryx and leading global efforts to bring the Scimitar-horned Oryx back from extinction in the wild. These are not just national milestones, but models of collaboration that the world can replicate. As we open the Congress, our message is clear: conservation succeeds when ambition is matched by evidence-based action and global partnership.”
“As we open this World Conservation Congress, generously co-hosted by the United Arab Emirates…let us celebrate not only what we have achieved, but what we must continue to achieve together. Let us act with the urgency this moment demands, but also with the hope and creativity that this Union embodies. Let us commit to being remembered for what we did right. Together, we can conserve, restore, and rebuild,” said Dr Grethel Aguilar, IUCN Director General. “Together, we can send a powerful message to the world: that change is possible, that unity is stronger than division, and that a thriving planet and a world that values and conserves nature is within our reach. When future generations look back, may they say: this was the moment when humanity chose wisely. This was the moment when we stood united for nature, for people, for life itself.”
Dr Jane Goodall, DBE, had been scheduled to attend the IUCN Congress. Following her recent passing, IUCN will pay tribute to her extraordinary legacy and continue the vital work she inspired.[BV1]
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.
The full list of 40 motions, to be debated and voted upon in-person at Congress (and accessible to journalists), are here.
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 3rd MENA Oceans Summit.
A list of scheduled press conferences is available here.
Media registration – virtual or in-person – can be requested via this link. For more information, visit the IUCN Congress website.