Renewed IUCN leadership meets at first Council sitting in Abu Dhabi

Her Excellency Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak has been re-elected as IUCN President, and with the Council and Commission Chair elections complete, the Union welcomes a newly formed Council and four new Commission Chairs, alongside those renewing their tenure.

The IUCN Council brings together conservation leaders from all regions where IUCN works, elected by IUCN Members through a democratic process. Of the 38 Councillors elected at the IUCN World Conservation Congress 2025, 12 were re-elected while 26 are new to the Council, bringing new energy to a strong foundation of experience.

This year, the Council welcomes its first Commission Chair from Africa, the celebrated conservation educator Dr Margaret Otieno, who will lead the Commission on Education and Communication (CEC).

“I am very keen to strengthen the relationship between CEC and other IUCN Commissions, and to support the Union with its mandate. I am keen to pursue Nature-based Education and see how my expertise in sustainable development and climate literacy can be of service to IUCN,” said Dr Margaret Otieno, the first elected Commission Chair from Africa.

IUCN further welcomes the the election of Indigenous Councillor Onel Masardule Arias, who is part of the Guna Peoples in Panama. Mr Arias is responsible for ensuring that Indigenous Peoples’ Organisations are appropriately represented in their role as IUCN Members.  

“With my background in chemistry, I understand that conservation is relevant to many disciplines and that it matters for all people. I am happy to be an IUCN Councillor, and I look forward to supporting IUCN’s initiatives,” expressed Onel Masardule Arias, IUCN’s Indigenous Councillor.

The new Council also includes newly elected representatives from Africa, Mesoamerica and South America, North America and the Caribbean, Oceania, South and East Asia, West Asia, East Europe, North and Central Asia, and West Europe.  

The IUCN Council is IUCN’s principal governing body between sessions of the World Conservation Congress. Subject to the authority, direction and policy of the IUCN World Conservation Congress, the role of the IUCN Council is to give strategic direction for the work of the Union, provide oversight and guidance on the performance of the components of the Union and the Director General in particular, and fulfil its fiduciary responsibilities to Members and be accountable to them. It is renewed every four years at the IUCN World Conservation Congress.

See all Members of the new IUCN Council 2025 to 2029 here.