IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of Nature

Coming soon: IUCN World Conservation Congress

12 September 2008 | News story

Background: The IUCN World Conservation Congress brings together 8,000 leaders from the public sector, government, business and non-governmental organizations for what is the premier summit on sustainable development in 2008. Over 10 days they debate the best ways to tackle environmental and development challenges. They share pragmatic solutions to pressing issues. And they commit to collaborative action.

Three major issues are in the spotlight:
• How we deal with climate change, globalization, and energy demand
• How healthy environments contribute to healthy communities and economies
• How we safeguard the unique diversity of life in all its forms

Key events:
• October 6: Most comprehensive update of The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species with more than 45,000 species now assessed, including the results of the Global Mammal Assessment.
• October 6: Environment and security, challenges for change. NATO press briefing.
• October 7: Mining and conservation: conflict or consensus? International Council on Mining and Metals.
• October 7: Latin America climate change report, economic impacts. World Bank press briefing.
• October 8: How does climate change affect species extinctions? IUCN Species Programme event.
• October 8: Fisheries and food security: Industrial fisheries and conservation. IUCN press briefing
• October 9: Geo-engineering in the oceans: A climate change solution or an unacceptable threat to biodiversity? IUCN press briefing.
• October 9: Too much of a good thing? Biodiversity, biofuels and balancing agendas. World Bank event.
For a full list of key events at IUCN’s World Conservation Congress, please click here: https://cmsdata.iucn.org/downloads/key_events_congress.pdf

Potential Interview Opportunities:
• Ted Turner, founder CNN
• Prince Albert of Monaco
• Jeroen van der Veer, CEO of Shell
• Julia Marton-Lefèvre, IUCN Director General
• Valli Moosa, IUCN President
• Tom Albanese, CEO of Rio Tinto
• Mohammad Yunus, Nobel Peace Prize Winner
• Katherine Sierra, Vice President World Bank
• Pavan Sukhdev, Managing Director Deutsche Bank
For a full list of all confirmed VIPs please click here: https://cmsdata.iucn.org/downloads/vip_list_for_congress.pdf

All related press materials and audio for download at: http://www.iucn.org/news_events/events/congress/media/media/index.cfm

Media Team:
• Sarah Horsley, IUCN Media Relations Officer, Tel: +41 22 999 0127; Mobile: +41 79 528 3486; Email: sarah.horsley@iucn.org
• Carolin Wahnbaeck, IUCN Media Relations Officer, Tel: +41 22 999 0313; Mobile: +41 79 858 7593; Email: carolin.wahnbaeck@iucn.org

IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, helps the world find pragmatic solutions to our most pressing environment and development challenges by supporting scientific research; managing field projects all over the world; and bringing governments, NGOs, the UN, international conventions and companies together to develop policy, laws and best practice.