Background
The IUCN World Conservation Congress (WCC), held every four years, is a pivotal event that unites several thousand leaders and decision-makers from government, civil society, indigenous peoples, business, and academia. The Congress aims to enhance the management of the environment for human, social, and economic development. The IUCN WCC provides a platform to set aside differences and collaborate on creating effective environmental governance, engaging all sectors of society to share both the responsibilities and the benefits of conservation. The next IUCN WCC will take place from October 9-15, 2025, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (please refer to Annex 2 for key dates).
In April 2024, ICRI and NOAA announced the world’s Fourth Global Bleaching Event. This event has surpassed the spatial extent of the Third Global Bleaching Event, impacting over 72.9% of coral reefs worldwide as of July 2024, with coral bleaching confirmed in at least 69 countries and territories. The severity and frequency of coral bleaching events have escalated, highlighting a pivotal moment for global intervention.
In this light, IUCN WCC presents a valuable opportunity in the international agenda to elevate coral bleaching. Historically, there has been no IUCN resolution on coral bleaching. This motion will build upon the previous IUCN Resolutions “Conserving and protecting coral reefs through the post-2020 global biodiversity framework” (WCC-2020-Res-105-EN) and “Cooperation for the conservation and protection of coral reefs worldwide” (WCC-2016-Rec-106-EN).
The Committee will utilise the discussions during the “Session 5 – The Fourth Global Bleaching Event: Monitoring and Management Response” at the occasion of the 38th ICRI General Meeting (September 2024) to further develop the IUCN WCC motion with key messages.
ICRI members have a unique opportunity to lead a coordinated effort to engage IUCN members (1,400, from over 70 countries) to advocate for strong action to conserve and protect coral reefs, building resilience to future coral bleaching.
The objective of the ad hoc committee will be to:
- Coordinate ICRI’s contribution to the IUCN WCC 2025, including developing a timeline to according to the ICRI Rules of Procedures.
- Develop a draft motion on coral reef bleaching to be submitted to IUCN WCC, aligning with, and building upon, other relevant processes where necessary.
- Engage IUCN Members, including States and Governments, to support the motion; and
- Disseminate information about the motion and the importance of addressing coral bleaching to a wide range of stakeholders including ICRI members, governments, NGOs, academia, indigenous communities, and youth.
ICRI resolutions relating to the ad hoc committee
- ICRI GM 38 (Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) – Terms of reference for the ad hoc committee to support the development of a motion to the IUCN World Conservation Congress
Composition
Chair: ICRI Secretariat
Membership: United States of America, Australia, Wildlife Conservation Society, United Nations, Environment Programme, International Coral Reef Society (ICRS)
Working procedure
The ad hoc committee works virtually and takes advantage of any opportunities for face-to-face meetings in the sidelines of other meetings. The ad hoc committee will work intersessionally until the end of the IUCN WCC congress in October 2025.