Over 70 years of impact

In 2018, IUCN celebrated its 70th anniversary. Throughout its 70-year history, IUCN has addressed pressing issues at its General Assemblies and World Conservation Congresses, often ahead of their time and with results that steer the course of humanity’s relationship with our planet.

From 1948 to 1994, IUCN Members met every two to three years in General Assemblies. Starting in 1996, IUCN transitioned its General Assembly into the quadrennial IUCN World Conservation Congress comprised of a Members’ Assembly, Forum and Exhibition.

Decisions at these events have been instrumental in shaping the conservation and sustainable development agendas, from identifying climate change as a major emerging challenge in 1960, to laying the foundations for major international conventions and outlining strategies for global and national action in the years since. Conventions with their roots in IUCN Assemblies and Congresses include: the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).

Stories about notable impacts since 1948

IUCN Resolutions Impact brochure