IUCN Leaders Forum 2024 closes with call to work across 'boundaries and borders' to secure change for nature

IUCN Director General, Dr Grethel Aguilar, marked the end of the three-day event with a speech on the importance of inclusive, collaborative action in urgently addressing nature loss.

“At IUCN we recognise that conservation being the sole responsibility of conservationists is a crutch that our planet can no longer afford. We are very encouraged by the conversations we have had with private sector leaders throughout this forum, and look forward to co-creating and collaborating on solutions to protect our planet,” she said. “To make real change, we must reach across boundaries and borders – of geography, sectors, age and expertise. We have one planet, and we must fight for it as one, united for nature.”

She expressed IUCN’s commitment to deepening engagement with the private sector, as this will be crucial in closing the $700 billion finance gap for nature.

This year’s IUCN Leaders Forum was held under the theme “harnessing innovation, enabling conservation”. The event is unique as experts in environmental science and conservation meet directly with business leaders to formulate actions to achieve global sustainability and a liveable planet for people and nature.

Over the last three days, environmental experts, senior government officials, academics, Indigenous peoples, and representatives from the private sector have engaged in timely and engaging discussions on how to equitably scale technological solutions, harness innovation and work together to halt the loss of nature.

The inaugural day focused on how local communities can be kept at the heart of technological innovation, empowering them to lead actions for nature.  The second day of the Forum had a firm focus on investment and closing the $700 billion annual finance gap for nature and biodiversity.

It saw the release of an IUCN flagship report on the interplay between agriculture and conservation and the US government announced an additional $14 million in funding for the End Plastic Pollution Innovation Collaborative (EPPIC) – a public-private partnership aimed at strengthening international efforts to combat plastic pollution.

Also yesterday, IUCN and REDEIA, formerly known as Red Eléctrica de España, signed a new agreement to advance biodiversity assessments and conservation actions.

IUCN presented its 20-year vision and suggested priorities for its new Business Engagement Strategy to business leaders across different sectors. These leaders welcomed IUCN’s ambition to collaborate more with businesses to enable more informed decision-making and strategies relating to nature and biodiversity.

The forum took place just before CBD COP16, in Cali, Colombia, and Climate COP29, in Baku Azerbaijan, where critical decisions on realising global goals on biodiversity and climate will be made. The second day of the event also marked one year to the IUCN World Conservation Congress 2025 in Abu Dhabi. The ideas, partnerships, and commitments forged at this edition of the IUCN Leaders Forum will be carried forward to inform that agenda-setting event.