IUCN welcomes the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi as a Framework Partner

IUCN Framework Partners are strategic long-term collaborators that support and work with IUCN to advance shared conservation goals through coordinated action, technical expertise and sustained investment.

The Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi has long been a valued partner to IUCN, supporting global and regional efforts to conserve biodiversity and promote sustainable development. This new framework agreement builds on that partnership, reinforcing a shared ambition to scale up action for nature at a critical time.

The partnership advances the momentum generated by the IUCN World Conservation Congress in October 2025 and the resulting Abu Dhabi Call to Action, which underscored the urgent need for transformative change to address the interconnected challenges of biodiversity loss, climate change and land degradation. Through this renewed collaboration, IUCN and the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi will work together to continue to drive forward the global agenda for nature, contributing to a more resilient and sustainable future.

Her Excellency Dr Shaikha Salem Al Dhaheri, Secretary General of the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi, Vice Chair of the Global Council on SDG14, said: “As we move toward the 2030 targets of the Global Biodiversity Framework, this is our moment to match ambition with action. As a Framework Partner, EAD will continue to champion programmes that turn commitment into measurable outcomes for both nature and people. This partnership elevates EAD’s local and regional conservation priorities onto IUCN's global agenda, ensuring the realities of our region shape the decisions that define the future of nature.”

Dr Grethel Aguilar, IUCN Director General, said: "At a time when biodiversity loss and mounting environmental challenges demand urgent action, we warmly welcome and celebrate EAD's decision to become IUCN's newest Framework Partner — the first in the Middle East. This partnership reflects Abu Dhabi's bold and enduring commitment to protecting nature at the pace and scale that our planet requires. EAD brings scientific excellence, regional leadership and a proven track record of delivering on environmental goals. We are deeply grateful and proud to have, once more, EAD as a strategic partner of IUCN, and we look forward to working together to achieve lasting outcomes for nature and people.” 

H.E. Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak, President of IUCN said: “Abu Dhabi’s commitment to become a Framework Partner is a testament to the UAE’s sustained championship of nature as essential to people, progress and the planet. This partnership reflects the direction set by the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Abu Dhabi and the Abu Dhabi Call to Action. By becoming a Framework Partner, the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi is making a sustained contribution to IUCN’s work with Members, Commissions and partners to turn global ambition into measurable impact for nature.”

The EAD has been a long-time partner and supporter of the IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC), including hosting five SSC Leaders Meetings since 2008, funding the role of the SSC Chair and the implementation of SSC’s strategic plan, and contributing to the implementation of the IUCN Programme as a Framework Partner from 2011 to 2015.

Abu Dhabi has demonstrated its global commitment to nature conservation through a range of national and international initiatives. This includes the Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund, an independent global grant-making institution, which has supported more than 3,000 conservation projects covering nearly 1,800 species worldwide.

The UAE has worked closely with IUCN to strengthen its scientific knowledge base, by assessing the status and risk of extinction of many groups of species, including mammals, birds, reptiles, invertebrates and plants for the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species^TM and by following IUCN criteria to develop the national Red Lists of species.

EAD has been working together with the SSC to produce the Abu Dhabi Red List of Species, which is currently being reassessed in partnership with the SSC. This collaboration has continued to evolve in recent years. More recently EAD and IUCN took a close look at the risk of collapse of arid ecosystems and produced the Abu Dhabi Red List of Ecosystems – the first assessment of its kind in West Asia.

These assessments build on IUCN’s Red List of Threatened Species and Red List of Ecosystems, two of the world’s most authoritative scientific tools for measuring the status of biodiversity and ecosystem health. Together, they provide the robust evidence base needed to guide conservation planning, inform policy decisions and target action where it is most urgently needed.

As a Framework Partner, the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi will provide vital support to the IUCN Programme 2026-2029, enabling the Union to strengthen its global impact, support its Members and accelerate the implementation of Nature-based Solutions.