Exhibition concludes as delegates transition from knowledge exchange to decision-making
AI, rights-based conservation, and urban nature feature prominently across the programme
Abu Dhabi, October 2025: Day five of the IUCN World Conservation Congress 2025 saw the Members’ Assembly continue its formal deliberations, voting on motions that will shape global conservation priorities through 2030 and beyond. The Assembly, the Union’s highest decision-making body, runs from 12 to 15 October, while the Exhibition concludes today, after five days of public engagement.
Hosted by the United Arab Emirates and co-organised by the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE) and the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD), the Congress from 9 to 15 October brings together more than 10,000 delegates across the Members’ Assembly, Forum and Exhibition, advancing outcomes aligned with the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
Day five programming in the UAE Pavilion came full circle, with youth-led and youth-focused sessions. At Cultural Roots, Natural Futures: Safeguarding the UAE’s Heritage for Tomorrow, organised by the Department of Culture and Tourism (DCT), Rashed AlSuwaidi, Public Events Specialist, and Hamdan Al Hosani, Visitor Experience Supervisor from DCT shared how they are working towards documenting and preserving the finer points of the UAE Heritage for future generations. At the soon-to-open Zayed National Museum, hitherto unknown elements from the UAE will be displayed, and preserved for the world.
Organised by MOCCAE, an innovative session showcased how environmental awareness can be integrated into education at all levels. From turning school and university campuses into green areas, to using comic book formats to educate blue collar workers, the initiative combines world-class facilities with hands-on learning to promote sustainable interaction with the UAE’s diverse ecosystems.
The UAE Pavilion added a governance lens with ‘The Role of Law Enforcement in Combating Environmental Crimes and Protecting Biodiversity’, organised by the Ministry of Interior, which convened municipalities, planners and utilities to share practical playbooks for urban biodiversity, including nature in streetscapes, cooling through green infrastructure and community-led monitoring that informs city planning.
Youth and education were prominent throughout the day, with Nature and Us workshops and Youth Driving Sustainability (both organised by the South America region of IUCN), intergenerational dialogues, and classroom to conservation activations that connect schools with science and field programmes. The IUCN Youth Pavilion had young visitors, with school groups joining in to hear what young UAE leaders and changemakers had to say. Driving innovation for nature, climate, and sustainable entrepreneurship, Emiratis Nouf Al Qadi, Majed Bin Saad, Abdulaziz Bin Redha, Marwa Abdalla, and Sultan Albloushi shared how they are using community support, social media, corporate connections, and more, to educate and influence small but impactful habit changes in the UAE youth.
Across the Congress, Day 5 highlighted inclusive approaches, city scale nature solutions and the next wave of conservation technology. Sessions like ‘Principles for Inclusive Nature Action’, run by the IIED and CCI, which outlined a practical framework for governments, funders, and NGOs to scale rights based and locally led action, and ‘Across Borders and Forests: Landscapes Reimagined Through People’, convened by Jamma International, which shared transboundary and community stewardship models ran full. Citizen science featured across the programme, underscoring how community data strengthens monitoring, policy and outcomes on the ground.
Innovation also featured strongly. The OlmoEarth launch, by Ai2 (the Allen Institute for AI) – using AI to protect the planet – showcased open, end to end Earth intelligence that integrates satellite, radar and climate data to support faster decisions. Press events also advanced delivery with the WALD Innovation Facility – a collaboration of IUCN, the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and KfW Development Bank – to scale nature positive solutions, the introduction of the Tech4Nature Award winners by IUCN and Huawei, and the launch of transboundary biological corridors in Europe and Latin America through Habitats Across Borders, an initiative of the Fundación Naturaleza y Hombre and Spanish IUCN Members Committee.
Financing and governance pathways were foregrounded. Delegates explored the new era of debt for nature swaps and unlocking private finance for high integrity nature-based solutions, alongside evidence of impact from IUCN grant making programmes and tools that align financial flows with nature.
Standards and practical tools were in focus, including the book launch of the Rewilding Guidelines and a session on uniting the IUCN Red Lists for greater impact, both organised by the IUCN Commission on Ecosystem Management and IUCN Green List mentor training to accelerate effective and equitable area-based conservation.
As urbanisation accelerates globally, Transforming Urban Futures: Nature Positive Pathways for Sustainable Cities convened partners including the WCPA, WRI, Korean National Institute of Ecology, Secretaría del Medio Ambiente del Gobierno de la Ciudad de México, and GEF to share policies and partnerships that embed biodiversity into planning and infrastructure, advancing climate resilience, public health and social equity in rapidly growing cities. Regional spotlights ranged from Africa’s drylands resilience and freshwater connectivity, to regenerative blue economies in the Bay of Bengal, community led coral recruitment in Honduras, and data driven scaling of mangrove restoration.
With Members now in session and the Exhibition concluding today, Congress attention turns to voting on motions and the Union’s strategic direction, decisions that will guide conservation policy, finance and implementation in the critical years to 2030.
About the IUCN World Conservation Congress:
Held every four years, the IUCN World Conservation Congress is one of the largest gatherings of nature conservation experts, leaders and decision-makers from government, civil society, Indigenous Peoples, business, and academia in the world. The event is the democratic forum for the global conservation community to express its views and decide and act on the latest in conservation science, practice and policy – shaping the global conservation and sustainable development agendas for decades to come. Congress is also one of the largest marketplaces for scientists, policy experts, business leaders and professionals from around the globe to share their experience, expertise, and latest research.
About MOCCAE:
Since its founding, the United Arab Emirates has prioritised agriculture and food security as fundamental elements of its environmental and development agenda. In 1972, the UAE established the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries to promote and protect agricultural, livestock, and fisheries resources, thereby enhancing the nation’s food security. In February 2006, the responsibilities of this ministry were transferred to the newly formed Ministry of Environment and Water, which assumed all its functions and was additionally tasked with the preservation and development of the UAE’s natural environment. In February 2016, the ministry was renamed the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment following a ministerial restructuring, reflecting the expansion of its mandate to include climate change-related responsibilities.
The Ministry of Climate Change and Environment leads the UAE’s efforts in confronting climate change by promoting adaptation strategies, reducing emissions, and transforming key sectors in collaboration with relevant stakeholders. Its goal is to achieve the UAE’s Net Zero by 2050 target while fulfilling the nation’s international climate and environmental commitments.
Additionally, the Ministry fosters global partnerships and cooperation initiatives to advance collective climate and environmental action. The Ministry’s vision is to fulfil the objectives of the National Food Security Strategy, positioning the UAE as the top nation in the Global Food Security Index by 2051. This goal is being pursued through the advancement of modern agriculture, support for farmers, optimised use of livestock and fisheries resources to enhance local food production, and the transition towards sustainable, climate-smart food systems. The Ministry advances climate and environmental sustainability in the UAE by developing innovative policies and legislation that promote the adoption of modern technologies across various related sectors.
The Ministry is actively working to protect biodiversity and conserve natural ecosystems by implementing the National Biodiversity Strategy 2031, while also addressing land degradation by executing the National Strategy to Combat Desertification 2030. The Ministry is committed to strengthening biosecurity, promoting the circular economy, and fostering sustainable communities in the UAE. It also seeks to engage the business sector, private enterprises, and the wider community – including UAE nationals and residents – in advancing the nation’s vision of a sustainable future for all.
About Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD)
Established in 1996, the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) is committed to protecting and enhancing air quality, groundwater as well as the biodiversity of our desert and marine ecosystem. By partnering with other government entities, the private sector, NGOs and global environmental agencies, we embrace international best practice, innovation and hard work to institute effective policy measures. We seek to raise environmental awareness, facilitate sustainable development and ensure environmental issues remain one of the top priorities of our national agenda.
About IUCN:
IUCN is a membership Union composed of both government and civil society organisations. It harnesses the experience, resources and reach of its more than 1,400 Member organisations and the input of more than 17,000 experts. IUCN is the global authority on the status of the natural world and the measures needed to safeguard it.
