Reflections from IUCN Congress 2025
The IUCN Congress; leading hope and action through the Young Reporters for the Environment Programme
The IUCN World Conservation Congress, hosted between 9th and 15th October 2025, included FEE’s Global Directors of Education, Lee Wray Davies and Pramod Kumar Sharma powering transformative conservation through five sessions. These were centred around the UNESCO led Greening Education Partnership, Nature-Based Education and Young Reporters for the Environment. FEE’s directors were joined by other visionary environmental leaders from across the world, including Young Reporters themselves, who reinforced the central notion that youth leadership is critical to scaling and sustaining environmental action.
The presence of Young Reporters for the Environment at the IUCN Congress demonstrated that hope is not only a growing force but also a living presence which inspires changemakers worldwide to address important environmental challenges articulated in FEE’s GAIA:2030 strategy- taking action on biodiversity loss, pollution and climate change. The Young Reporters for the Environment programme provides the skills and project-based learning opportunities to achieve this, uniting communities across the globe in a collective effort to look after one another and the planet.
The notable role that Small Island Developing states (SIDS) play within protecting biodiversity, creating impactful conservation efforts and shaping climate resilience was a key focus both within the IUCN’s opening ceremony and throughout the seven-day congress. Following the interactive YRE sessions that took place at the congress and inspired by a Young Reporter, a fellow IUCN member stated that ‘We promise to continue working with young people around the world to make a positive difference to the planet. Hearing voices like yours will inspire a whole generation of future conservationists, to keep the whole planet and particularly islands safe, well and clean for wildlife.’ Sean Dick, Senior Conservation Education Manager, Conservation Education & Engagement at Chester Zoo.
Another key reflection from the congress was that the seeds of hope can be planted at any age, but as evident through both YRE sessions, 30 Years of youth led transformative conservation and youth-led storytelling for conservation, young people often prove to be some of the most receptive and powerful advocates for a greener, fairer world. FEE’s 220,000 wide global network of Young Reporters continue to lead the way in conservation in both land and marine systems across the globe; uniting hope with action.
With time to reflect on the IUCN Congress, hope is no longer an abstract feeling, as it becomes tangible through the actions of young people leading the way through Young Reporters for the Environment. We see hope when Young Reporters organise clean-up campaigns such as Litter Less, advocate for transformational educational approaches through UN at your doorstep and facilitate intergenerational participation in their communities through Global Action Days. We hear hope through the voices and stories from Young Reporters who confidently present their projects and disseminate their work across the network during the annual YRE Competition. Their work, such as campaign videos from the Bahamas raising awareness about hurricanes on small islands, and articles from Bermuda enhancing young people’s participation in biodiversity restoration on these archipelagos, transform hope into impact, reminding us that real change is achievable and happening right now.
This connection between hope and action is the focus of Joanna Macy’s seminal work, Active Hope. As Macy reflects, 'Active Hope is a practice. Like tai chi or gardening, it is something we do rather than have. It is a process we can apply to any situation.' Hope is sustained through ongoing, conscious and evolving actions. These actions are at the heart of the Young Reporters for the Environment programme. The programme continues to demonstrate that investigating, researching, reporting and disseminating are four vital steps to celebrate the impactful work of Young Reporters. These were embedded in the themes of the congress, including scaling up resilient conservation action, reducing climate overshoot risks, delivering on equity, transitioning to nature-positive economies and societies, and disruptive innovation and leadership.
The late Jane Goodall, a cherished member of the IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) for many years also described hope as a cyclical process: 'You need hope to get you going, but then by taking action, you generate more hope. It's a circular thing.' In her work, The Book of Hope, Goodall identifies four reasons to hope: the human intellect, the resilience of nature, the power of young people, and the indomitable human spirit. Reflecting on her lifetime of conservation work and deep reverence for nature, the IUCN shared that Jane was someone who could ‘inspire a global movement for nature – reminding us what is possible when dedication, courage, and science unite in service of nature.’ You can read more here.
This same ethos has been championed by Young Reporters for the Environment for over three decades. In a fast-paced world where information is at our fingertips, YRE provides young people with the tools and foundation to lead meaningful investigations and develop projects that drive nature-positive solutions while strengthening community cohesion. It offers an essential opportunity for Young Reporters to express their creativity, compassion and critical thinking through different media and spark an ongoing curiosity about the natural world. As Robin Wall Robin Wall Kimmerer shared in her work, Braiding Sweetgrass, ‘Action on behalf of life transforms because the relationship between self and the world is reciprocal.’
It has often been noted that Young Reporters are the guiding force that both unite and renew motivation for all generations to take action on climate change. The words, photographs, videos, podcasts and media created by Young Reporters share profound insights into how we all play an important part in greening communities, now and in the future. Like many other habits, hope is something we can practice and integrate into our everyday lives. We are inspired by Young Reporters and their enthusiasm to share their stories, and we look forward to continuing to work with Young Reporters for the Environment across the world whilst leading a programme defined by excellence, optimism, resilience and of course, hope.