The IUCN World Conservation Congress has grown to be the world’s largest and most democratic recurring conservation event in the world, bringing the expertise and influence of its powerful membership to bear on the most pressing issues of the time. It has three parts: a marketplace of ideas called the Forum, an Exhibition showcasing conservation’s initiatives from across the world and a voting session for IUCN Members called the Members’ Assembly.
Heads of State and other high-level government officials, top CEOs and business leaders, representatives from indigenous groups and leading civil society organisations of all shapes and sizes along with top scientists, academics, influencers, educators and artists from all over the world.
Share your latest conservation work and gain institutional visibility with the media and with the Congress’ influential participants. Learn from technical and scientific experts, network and build global partnerships, and influence the decisions that will impact your work.
The Forum is the largest knowledge marketplace for conservation and sustainable development science, practice and innovation. The 2016 Congress held over 600 sessions addressing a wide range of conservation issues. The Forum is open to the public and a great place to learn, share, network and influence.
The Members’ Assembly is where IUCN’s 1,500+ Member organisations collectively decide on actions to address the most pressing and often controversial conservation and sustainable development challenges. The knowledge from the Forum informs the decisions taken at the Members’ Assembly.
Decisions from IUCN’s diverse and influential membership carry a powerful mandate and help shape worldwide conservation and sustainable development agendas for years to come. In the current period, this role takes on even greater importance as the outcomes of the Congress will shape the policy debates leading into the UN Convention on Biological Diversity Conference of the Parties (CoP15) in China.
A healthy, natural world can provide up to a third of the greenhouse gas mitigation needed to maintain safe global temperatures. It is also a prerequisite for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). By protecting and restoring nature and putting nature-based solutions to use, humanity can reach these goals. Neglecting nature makes them near impossible. The IUCN Congress brings scientific and technical experts to the table with political and private sector leaders to show how getting nature right can help achieve climate objectives and the vision of a more prosperous, healthy and equitable world by 2030.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the French government have agreed to hold the IUCN World Conservation Congress from 3 to 11 September 2021 in Marseille. The event, originally scheduled for June 2020, was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
For more information, please see the Information on Congress preparations page.
To get involved, you may want to reserve an exhibition booth, become a Congress sponsor or partner and share the excitement with your networks using #IUCNcongress.
The IUCN Congress is a non-profit event. Registration fees go toward logistics and event preparation expenses, covering roughly 15% of the total cost of the event. The Host Country, IUCN, Sponsors and Partners cover the remaining expenses. IUCN offers numerous discounts for IUCN Members, residents of France, youth, and people who register early in the process.
IUCN offers financial support for delegates from Member organisations from low- and middle-income countries (as defined by the World Bank) who would not otherwise be able to attend the Congress and exercise their voting rights. Delegate sponsorship covers registration, travel, accommodation and meals. Unfortunately, IUCN is not in a position to provide financial support to participants from non-Member organisations/institutions.
Do you have another question that should be added to this FAQ? Contact congress@iucn.org.
