The agreement seeks to frame a new strategy to reinforce mutual technical cooperation and to enhance the quality of conservation and sustainable development projects worldwide.
While GIZ has been Member of IUCN since 1993, this agreement aims to tighten the links, deepen expertise, and accelerate joint learning. The partnership leverages complementary strengths in both organisations: the scientific knowledge, standards, and convening power of IUCN as a Union and GIZ’s extensive experience in implementing effective solutions on the ground in over 130 countries.
From Knowledge to Action
This collaboration will be a more agile and efficient joint venture for mutual engagement both at global and local levels. Further, at the core of the MoU is increasing joint knowledge management and capacity building, building on the decade-long success of the PANORAMA – Solutions for a Healthy Planet initiative, co-led by IUCN and GIZ, which has become a globally recognised platform for sharing effective conservation practices.
Under this three-year agreement, the parties will focus on the co-development of new initiatives and the promotion of a wider application of IUCN’s science-based knowledge products and standards, including the standards for IUCN Green List of Protected and Conserved Areas and the Global Standard for Nature-based Solutions.
Stewart Maginnis, IUCN Deputy Director General, said at the signing ceremony: "This MoU marks a pivotal moment in our long and trusted relationship with GIZ. It is a commitment to operationalising conservation science at scale. By embedding IUCN’s tools and knowledge directly into GIZ’s world-class implementation processes, we can translate global environmental goals into tangible local action more effectively. This is about creating a powerful synergy between science and practice to accelerate the delivery of solutions for the planet’s most urgent challenges."
Dr. Elke Siehls, Director General Sectoral Department at GIZ GmbH, highlighted “I am very pleased to have signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Together, we are uniting our efforts – now more than ever – to advance biodiversity and nature conservation. This milestone comes at a particularly meaningful moment, during this year’s World Conservation Congress.”
The partnership will enhance the ability of both organisations to support countries in achieving their commitments under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and the Paris Agreement, utilizing the power of these two leading organizations at global level.