IUCN in action at the World Conservation Congress, Abu Dhabi 2025
The IUCN World Conservation Congress 2025 showcased a powerful shift: conservation is most effective when the voices of those who live closest to nature are placed at its heart. Delegates heard compelling interventions from Indigenous Peoples and local communities, who steward some of the world’s most biodiverse landscapes. Women leaders emphasised their critical, yet often overlooked, role in natural resource management. Youth coalitions demanded meaningful inclusion in governance processes that shape their futures. Meanwhile, rangers spoke candidly about the daily risks they face while protecting wildlife and ecosystems.
By providing space for these perspectives, IUCN and its Members demonstrated a commitment to moving beyond consultation toward collaboration, where equity is about sharing power, rights, and responsibilities. Placing equity at the centre of Congress deliberations made a clear statement: fairness, justice, and community rights are non-negotiable foundations for conservation. Rebuilding natural capital for future generations requires models where biodiversity protection and community well-being advance together.
At the IUCN World Conservation Congress 2025 in Abu Dhabi, one truth stood out: equity is the foundation of lasting conservation. Protecting biodiversity and rebuilding natural capital cannot succeed without justice, inclusion, and shared power. At IUCN 2025, equity was not just discussed; it was advanced, showing a path forward where people and nature thrive together.
Youth delegates made it clear: they are not simply “future generations” to inherit decisions, they are the present. They called for real empowerment, authority, and investment in youth-led solutions. “Include us, empower us, share power with us,” echoed throughout sessions, emphasising that sustainability is a shared responsibility that young people are already leading. Youth coalitions are actively shaping actionable solutions on the ground, driving innovation, and ensuring that conservation reflects their vision for a sustainable future. Beginning at the Youth Summit and going further into several youth-led discussions across the many days of the forum, youth voices reverberated across the corridors.
With this Summit, we send a clear message to the world, investing in youth is investing in the Earth’s future. The story of sustainability cannot be written without the Youth." - Speaker at the Youth Summit.
Indigenous Peoples: Rights, Knowledge, and Access
Equitable conservation depends on ensuring that resources reach Indigenous communities and translate into meaningful action. Indigenous Peoples are diverse, and their traditional knowledge and stewardship practices are fundamental to biodiversity protection. Discussions underscored the urgent need to provide policy funding, technology, and technical support, particularly for Indigenous women and youth. The message was clear: action is needed now, for the sake of people, nature, and the planet.
IUCN World Conservation Congress 2025. Indigenous Peoples Summit. Photo © IUCN/Tim Gander/Workers Photos
Image from Indigenous Peoples' Pavilion, Photo © Mike Muzurakis
Indigenous Peoples' Summit Closing Day. Photo © IISD/ENB - Mike Muzurakis
Image from Indigenous Peoples Summit. Photo © IUCN/Tim Gander/Workers Photos
The conversation around equity came alive through powerful sessions that spotlighted gender-responsive and transformative approaches to conservation and sustainability. Speakers from across regions underscored that achieving environmental justice requires addressing the systemic barriers that limit women’s participation and leadership in conservation. IUCN, its Members and partners presented practical tools and case studies showing how integrating gender perspectives into environmental governance leads to stronger, more resilient ecosystems and communities.
Financing gender-responsive, community-led restoration is not charity, it is an investment in resilience, justice, and the planet’s future." - Mrinalini Rai, Women4Biodiversity
Speakers at a session in the Pavilions. Photo © Trevor Brown
"Gender Transformative Approaches to Conservation – What, Why and How?" - a presentation in the Learning Zone during the IUCN Congress. © Helen Anthem / Fauna & Flora
"Gender Transformative Approaches to Conservation – What, Why and How?" - a presentation in the Learning Zone during the IUCN Congress. © Helen Anthem / Fauna & Flora
Women leaders, from Indigenous territories to urban conservation initiatives shared firsthand how gender equity enhances decision-making, promotes accountability, and ensures benefits are distributed fairly. Several sessions highlighted that empowering women with secure land rights, access to finance, technology, and education not only uplifts families but accelerates progress toward global biodiversity goals. The resounding message was clear: conservation must move beyond inclusion to transformation, ensuring that women’s knowledge, voices, and leadership shape the policies and practices that define the future of sustainability.
A foundation for future action
Placing equity at the centre of Congress deliberations made a clear statement: fairness, justice, and community rights are non-negotiable foundations for conservation. Rebuilding natural capital for future generations requires models where biodiversity protection and community well-being advance together.
As the Congress concluded, the call to action was unambiguous: delivering on equity is not just a moral imperative, it is a practical necessity. For IUCN, this means continuing to transform policies, governance systems, and partnerships so that conservation achieves justice as well as ecological resilience.
As the Congress ended, one truth stood out: equity is the foundation of lasting conservation. Protecting biodiversity and rebuilding natural capital cannot succeed without justice, inclusion, and shared power. At IUCN 2025, equity was not just discussed—it was advanced, showing a path forward where people and nature thrive together.