The world is halfway through a decisive decade for nature. It is essential for the future resilience of the planet and for all societies and businesses, given our dependence on nature, that the ambitions set out in the Global Biodiversity Framework are achieved. Halting and reversing nature loss requires collaborative, cross-sector action that is bold, science-based, and innovative, and business and finance have a critical role to play in the transition to a nature positive world.

The high-level Business Summit, to be held 10 – 11 October 2025, during the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Abu Dhabi represents a unique opportunity to catalyse this shift. For the first time at an IUCN Congress, business leaders will come together in a dedicated, high-level forum embedded within the world’s largest conservation event. The Summit will spotlight credible actions, unlock new partnerships, and bridge the gap between business ambition and demonstrable impact for nature.

As Ambassadors of this Summit and as leaders of organisations committed to advancing action to conserve and restore nature, we believe this moment must be used to: 

1. Elevate credible leadership: Companies that are taking real steps to assess, disclose, and reduce their impacts and dependencies on nature must be recognised. The Summit will highlight pioneers who are integrating science-based tools and guidance into decision-making and risk management.
2. Bridge silos and accelerate alignment: Governments, civil society, Indigenous Peoples, scientists, and business must accelerate collaborative work to co-create solutions. The Summit offers an important platform to share learnings and build trust so that we can move beyond fragmented efforts and toward more scalable outcomes.
3. Mobilise investment and commitments: From supply chains to capital flows, nature loss is a systemic risk – and the conservation and restoration of nature is a systemic opportunity. The Summit will spotlight nature-related opportunities for business and finance; highlighting how companies and financial institutions are delivering nature finance, restoring and conserving ecosystems, and embedding nature into value creation. 

We are excited that over 50 global business leaders have already confirmed their participation in the Summit. This growing momentum signals the appetite for change, and the need for credible platforms where it can be shaped, accelerated, and scaled. Our three organisations – IUCN, TNFD, and NPI – and many others, are committed to accelerating our efforts to catalyse more effective collaborative action across government, science, business, finance, and civil society. We view the Business Summit at the IUCN Congress not as an endpoint, but as an important and unique opportunity to share the strategic, technical, and institutional pathways needed for business and finance to align with the goals of the Global Biodiversity Framework and to contribute meaningfully to delivering nature-positive outcomes.

We invite business and finance leaders from around the world to join us in Abu Dhabi for the IUCN Congress, from 9 – 13 October 2025. Together, we can demonstrate that the ambitions set out in the Global Biodiversity Framework are not just possible – there are already concrete actions underway to attain them. 

Signed, 

Grethel Aguilar Rojas

Director General, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)

Tony Goldner

Chief Executive Officer, Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD)

Marco Lambertini

Convener, Nature Positive Initiative (NPI)