Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, will host the IUCN Congress in 2025 from October 9 to 15 with the theme “Empowering Transformative Conservation.”
- In 2025, the IUCN Congress will be held from October 9 to 15 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on the theme “Empowering Transformative Conservation.” More than 10,000 participants from 140 countries are expected to attend.
- Once every four years, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) gathers the global conservation community for the World Conservation Congress (WCC) – a key platform where scientists, policymakers, and activists shape the future of nature conservation.
- This year, the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA) will play an active role in this global dialogue and co-organize two sessions with international partners.
- Both sessions aim to bridge cutting-edge research with global policy frameworks and advance the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and the Paris Agreement.
Previous IUCN Congress
- In the previous Congress held in Marseille, France (2021), more than 9,200 participants attended, and the Marseille Manifesto was prepared, focusing on post-COVID recovery and the global biodiversity crisis.
- It was held in Hawaii in 2016 and first in 1948 in Fontainebleau, France.
India’s first Red List
- Considering India’s unique biodiversity, for the first time, a Red List will be released at this Congress to highlight endangered species and strengthen national conservation priorities. The Indian delegation at the Congress will be led by Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh.
- India has been a state member of IUCN since 1969. It has long contributed to conservation science and policy-making but has never before released its own national Red List.
International Union for Conservation of Nature
- Established in 1948, this institution is the global authority on the state of the natural world and the measures needed to safeguard it. It was first founded in Fontainebleau, France, making it the first international environmental union.
- Its headquarters is in Switzerland. In 1964, it established the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species is the world’s most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of plant and animal species.
- In 1992, in light of growing environmental concerns, the United Nations granted IUCN official observer status.
At the Moscow Format meeting, Taliban officials participated as formal participants for the first time
- On October 7, 2025, at the seventh Moscow Format meeting on Afghanistan held in Moscow, Taliban officials participated as formal participants for the first time. For the first time, Afghan Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi participated as an official member of this format.
- Until now, Taliban representatives had only participated as observers, but Russia signaled a shift earlier this year by granting diplomatic recognition.
- As U.S. President Donald Trump reiterated his call to take control of Afghanistan’s Bagram Air Base, the Russia-led regional forum, which also includes India, reiterated on October 7 that any attempt to deploy “military infrastructure” in the country would be “unacceptable.”
- The Afghan Foreign Minister will travel directly from Moscow to India for the first bilateral high-level visit since the Taliban came to power in 2021.
About the Moscow Format
- Established in 2017 as a regional platform to promote peace and stability in war-torn Afghanistan and facilitate national reconciliation.
- Members: India, Afghanistan, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, to discuss peace and stability in Afghanistan.
