Media registration now open for IUCN World Conservation Congress 2025

As a globally diverse and influential environmental gathering, the IUCN Congress is an important platform for shaping the global conservation agenda.

It is the foremost international event focused on nature conservation, that brings together government leaders, conservation and sustainable development professionals, and key influencers from business and civil society. 

Held just weeks before COP30 in Belém, Brazil, and with only five years remaining until the 2030 deadlines for the Paris Agreement, the Sustainable Development Goals, and the Global Biodiversity Framework, the IUCN Congress 2025 will be a critical moment for scaling up solutions that benefit both nature and people. 

The Congress will serve as a democratic forum where the global conservation community will express its views, set priorities, and take decisive action based on the latest conservation science, practice, and policy.

This year’s event will debate draft motions, that, when adopted, will trigger action on nature loss and other global challenges. 124 of these motions were published, and IUCN Members will be invited to discuss them online starting next month.

A wide range of pressing topics are up for debate, such as emergency action to prevent dangerous climate tipping points by protecting glaciers and forests; measures to explicitly recognise and upscale the role of Indigenous peoples’ sacred sites and languages; and strategies to mainstream conservation into renewable energy projects posing trade-offs for nature. The full list of motions can be found here.

Over the past 75 years, IUCN Congresses have been instrumental in shaping the most important global conservation treaties and initiatives. These include the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).

At the previous IUCN Congress, held in Marseille, France, in 2021, almost 10,000 participants from over 160 countries engaged in discussions and debates on pressing environmental challenges.

Visit the IUCN Congress website for more information and to get accredited as a journalist to cover the event.

Media opportunities at the IUCN Congress:

• Latest news – IUCN and its Members and partners will share the latest updates on conservation, sustainable development, and on ongoing projects on the ground.

• Government announcements – the IUCN Congress is a high-profile opportunity for government leaders to announce major environmental commitments and new conservation initiatives.

• Interview opportunities – interview diverse conservation voices including leaders and decision-makers from government, civil society, Indigenous peoples, business and academia from around the globe.

   

Background on the IUCN Congress:

• The most diverse, regularly held conservation event in the world.

• Held every four years.

• More than 10,000 participants, including Heads of State, CEOs and civil society leaders, attended the 2016 IUCN World Conservation Congress, in Hawaii, USA.

• Builds consensus among IUCN’s more than 1,400 Member organisations from over 160 countries.

• Is held in two parts: a four-day open debate called the Forum followed by the decision-making Members’ Assembly