IUCN Members convene every two to four years at the World Conservation Congress to debate and agree major policy issues and approve the organisation’s programme. A major outcome of these meetings are the Resolutions and Recommendations which guide global conservation efforts. Notable Resolutions have for example, supported the preparation of the World Conservation Strategy and contributed to the development of environmental treaties such as CITES, Ramsar, World Heritage and the Convention on Biological Diversity.
IUCN’s Resolutions have also supported Indigenous peoples, gender issues and the recognition of conservation as part of human rights. They have also focused attention on conserving threatened species and protected areas, helping to design effective approaches that are now global standards.
IUCN’s Members have adopted over 1400 Resolutions since 1948. These have been the Union’s most effective means of influencing conservation policy, at species, site, national and global levels.
As the only international conservation forum that brings governments, civil society and indigenous peoples’ organisations to the same table, the IUCN Members’ Assembly carries a powerful mandate. Members vote to approve motions, and once adopted, they become Resolutions and Recommendations, and therefore the body of IUCN’s general policy.
