The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Conservation Congress 2025 was held from October 9 to 15, 2025, at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
- For the first time, the IUCN World Conservation Congress was held in the UAE, supported by UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Exam Hints:
- What? IUCN Conservation Congress 2025
- Where? In Abu Dhabi (UAE)
- When? October 9 to 15, 2025
- Themes: “Powering Transformative Conservation”
- Highlights:
- 20-year Strategic Vision approved;
- Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak continues as IUCN President.
- Next Congress Host: Panamá, September 2027.
- New IUCN Member: Armenia
- Indian Representative: Union MoS Kirti Vardhan Singh, MoEFCC
- Launch:
- National Red List Roadmap of India
- First-ever Red List of Endangered Species of India, (NRLA)
- Awards: Dr. Sonali Ghosh (IUCN WCPA Kenton R. Miller Award)
About IUCN World Conservation Congress 2025:
Overview: The event brings people from around the world together to set priorities and act for conservation and sustainable development. It has been held once in four years since 1948.
Theme: “Powering Transformative Conservation” focused on driving impactful dialogue, decisions, and initiatives for nature and people.
Key Themes: The Congress focused on five interlinked areas:
- 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
Participants: The event gathered over 10,000 participants, on-site and online, from more than 160 countries, and hosted the first-ever World Summit of Indigenous Peoples and Nature.
- It included more than 1,000 events, bringing together governments, civil society, Indigenous organizations, academia, and businesses to shape conservation and sustainable development agenda for the future.
Indian Representation: Union Minister of State (MoS) Kirti Vardhan Singh, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), represented India to present India’s initiatives and strategies in biodiversity convention, sustainable urban development, and climate action.
Highlights of IUCN Conservation Congress 2025:
IUCN Adopts Strategic Vision and Announces Leadership:
Strategic Vision: Members approved the 20-year Strategic Vision along with a new programme for the upcoming four-year period.
Leadership: Her Excellency Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak will continue as IUCN President for a second term, working alongside newly elected members of the IUCN Commissions and Council.
Host Country: The Republic of Panamá has been selected to host the next IUCN World Protected and Conserved Areas Congress in September 2027, the leading global forum for protected area agendas.
Sustainability Certification: IUCN Congress 2025 achieved International Organization for Standardization(ISO) 20121:2024 certification, recognizing its commitment to rigorous sustainability standards.
4th World Heritage Outlook Report: During the event, IUCN launched the 4th World Heritage Outlook report, which found that climate change poses a threat to 43% of natural World Heritage sites globally.
IUCN New Member: During the event, Armenia became a ‘State Member’ of the IUCN, highlighting its commitment to advancing biodiversity conservation and sustainability on a global scale.
- Armenia’s IUCN membership aligns with its broader environmental strategy, including preparations to hostConvention on Biological Diversity (COP17) in 2026.
India Launches National Red List Roadmap & Vision 2025-30:
Roadmap: During the congress, Union MoS Kirti Vardhan Singh unveiled India’s first National Red List Roadmap of India, a significant initiative aimed at assessing and monitoring the conservation status of India’s flora and fauna.
- Implementation: The roadmap is being implemented by the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) and the Botanical Survey of India (BSI), Kolkata (West Bengal, WB).
- Training: Under the roadmap, over 11,000 species of plants and animals will be assessed. As part of capacity building, around 300 experts will be trained and certified over a period of five years, strengthening India’s contribution to global biodiversity documentation and conservation goals.
- Alignment: The project aligns with India’s obligations under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KM-GBF).
Red List: Under the roadmap, he unveiled the first-ever Red List of Endangered Species of India, with an aim to provide a comprehensive assessment of the conservation status of India’s flora and fauna.
- The list categorizes species based on their risk of extinction, identifying which species are Critically Endangered (CR), Endangered (EN), Vulnerable (VU), Near Threatened (NT), and Least Concern (LC) which help in guiding conservation strategies, policymaking, and habitat protection measures.
Vision for NRLA: As part of the roadmap, he presented India’s vision 2025-2030 for the National Red List Assessment (NRLA), a comprehensive framework developed by ZSI and BSI, in collaboration with IUCN-India and the Centre for Species Survival (CSS).
- The vision lays out a nationally coordinated, inclusive, and science-based approach to assess the risk of extinction for Indian species.
Background: The award, established in 2006, was named after Dr. Kenton R. Miller, former director of IUCN, recognizing individuals or teams who have introduced innovative practices in the management and sustainability of NP and protected areas.
International Ranger Awards 2025:
On October 12, 2025, the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) honored 13 rangers and ranger teams from 13 countries with the 2025 International Ranger Awards, recognizing their exceptional courage and dedication to nature conservation.
Cash Prize: The winners received financial grants ranging from USD 5,000 to USD 25,000 to support conservation work in their regions.
Global Recognition: So far, 59 awards, totaling USD480,000, have been presented to teams and individuals from 32 countries.
Global IUCN Kenton Miller Award 2025:
Awardee: On October 10, 2025, Dr. Sonali Ghosh, Field Director of Kaziranga National Park (NP) and Tiger Reserve (TR), Assam, was honored as the first Indian recipient of the IUCN WCPA Kenton R. Miller Award.
Reward: He received USD 5,000, global recognition, and a citation honoring their contributions.
MoU signed:
Entity: During the congress, IUCN and the UAE based International Renewable Energy (RE) Agency (IRENA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), to ensure that the global transition to RE is both sustainable and nature-positive, aligning with biodiversity conservation and community well-being.
Objectives: The key objectives of the MoU are to assess the impact of Biodiversity, co-benefit projects, Policy guidance, and Capacity building.
About International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN):
Director General (DG) – Grethel Aguilar
Headquarters – Gland, Switzerland
Established – 1948
