The IUCN World Conservation Congress 2025 is taking shape. The draft programme is now live, featuring a selection of confirmed sessions.

It offers an exciting first look at the themes, innovations, and collaborations that will define the Congress. Stay tuned as more sessions will be added in the lead-up to Congress.

Dr. Elizabeth Mrema, Deputy Executive Director of UNEP, highlights the Congress's potential to build momentum for a just transition toward nature-positive and inclusive economies.

As the IUCN World Conservation Congress 2025 approaches, Patricia Ricard, President of the Paul Ricard Oceanographic Institute and IUCN Patron of Nature, shares a powerful vision for redefining humanity’s relationship with the ocean. Building on outcomes from the 3rd UN Ocean Conference and advances in regenerative aquaculture, the reflection highlights biodiversity as a conscious paradigm for guiding us toward sustainability and protecting the living.

Beneath the surface of the ocean lies a twilight world – the mesophotic zone – teeming with vibrant coral reefs and marine life. Yet this vital ecosystem remains largely unexplored and under-protected. As part of the IUCN World Conservation Congress 2025, Under The Pole (IUCN Member organisation) and 18 international partners are championing a groundbreaking motion to advance research, awareness and protection of this overlooked ocean frontier. Dive deeper by watching their exclusive short film and learn how you can join the movement to bring the mesophotic zone into the global conservation spotlight.

Discover how Ahmed Nabil, IUCN SSC member, is leading an innovative marine conservation project in the UAE that blends traditional knowledge with cutting-edge science to restore coral reefs and boost biodiversity. This pioneering artificial reef initiative – using locally sourced natural materials and engaging communities – is setting new standards in scalable, sustainable restoration. In the lead-up to the IUCN World Conservation Congress 2025, this work highlights a broader shift in conservation practice: one that reimagines restoration as a critical response to today’s urgent global challenges.

Arafet Ben Marzou, co-founder of Exploralis (IUCN Member organisation) and the Ecologia Podcast – blends science, art, and activism to reconnect people with water’s deeper meanings. As their motion on nature conservation diplomacy heads to the IUCN World Conservation Congress 2025, this story and podcast episode explore how water diplomacy can serve as a bridge between communities and policy, fostering peace, cooperation and transformative conservation leadership. Discover how rivers like Tunisia’s Medjerda carry not only water, but memory, culture and hope.

Sharks and rays are some of the most threatened species in our oceans – yet conserving them effectively means navigating a complex landscape of policy and practice. This project, led by Germany and presented by Athena Allen, IUCN CEM Member, brings stakeholders together through expert surveys and collaborative workshops to discuss policy innovations that make a measurable difference for the future of sharks, rays, and their habitats. These innovations align with those on the agenda at the IUCN World Conservation Congress 2025.