The IUCN WCC is an important moment for decisions to be made, partnerships forged, and the future of our planet shaped. The Congress takes place every four years and includes three components: the Forum, the Exhibition and the Members Assembly.
More than 1,400 Member organisations – including governments, civil society groups, and Indigenous Peoples’ organisations – come together to vote on critical issues that will define our relationship with nature for generations.
The Congress serves as a dynamic space for sharing cutting-edge science, practical solutions, and policy innovations for a broad audience of those interested in conservation and sustainable development. Experts across sectors – science, business, policy, and grassroots action – convene to inspire, inform, and influence through a busy event including pavilions, booths and events.
By uniting state and non-state actors under one roof, the Congress amplifies collective ambition and provides a vital mandate to drive a nature-positive future. The IUCN’s unique convening power of state and non-state actors together gives Congress a powerful mandate to set the nature conservation agenda for decades to come.
The Nature Positive Pavilion at IUCN WCC
Following the popularity of previous events like the CBD’s COP16, the Nature Positive Initiative is hosting a dedicated pavilion at the Congress, offering a platform for the different voices affected by nature loss and who are part of the solutions for a nature-positive future.
The Pavilion will host events focused on the following themes, which are based on the themes set for the overall IUCN WCC.
- Becoming Nature Positive: a whole of society and government approach
- Measuring Nature Positive Outcomes
- Opportunities for Data & Tech enablement of Nature Positive
- Becoming Nature Positive: transformative actions & solutions
- Traditional Knowledge and Community-led approaches at the centre
Click the link for the full schedule of events
Nature Positive Pavilion
In 2025, the IUCN WCC will be held in Abu Dhabi
With only five years remaining until the 2030 deadline for the Paris Agreement, Sustainable Development Goals, and Global Biodiversity Framework, the congress comes at a critical time to elevate ambition, accelerate action and scale up collaborative solutions that address the needs of both nature and people, ensuring that sustainability efforts are equitable and just.
For 2025 the IUCN has set five themes: including ‘Transitioning to Nature-Positive Economies’. Find out more about these themes here.
IUCN WCC 2025