Core Contribution to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) 2022 - 2024


The International Union for Conservation of Nature is the leading global organization for knowledge on the status of nature and the measures required to safeguard it. It is a worldwide union of State and non-State members. The objective for SDC is to contribute to the implementation of the programme of the Union for reversing biodiversity loss and climate resilience, with focus on people, land, climate, water and oceans. Switzerland is State member of the Union and hosts the seat of the organization in Gland.

Country/region Topic Period Budget
Global
Climate change and environment
Water
Environmental policy
Water resources conservation
Forestry policy
01.01.2022 - 31.12.2024
CHF  6’000’000
Background The double crises of nature loss and climate change pose a fundamental threat to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Biodiversity is declining at the fastest rate ever. 75% of the land surface is significantly altered, freshwater biodiversity has declined by 83%, and less than 3% of the ocean is free from human pressure, including acidification, warming, overfishing, plastic and other pollution. Rise in temperatures set new records and puts the world at the risk to get off-track to meet the 1.5°C Paris Agreement target. If transformative action is not taken, a significant rise in average temperatures by the end of the century will carry devastating impacts. Changes in climate, biodiversity, and ecosystem functions hit the poorest communities and indigenous peoples hardest, many of whom rely on natural resources for their livelihoods and live in areas where changes are likely to be most severe. These crises, on top of major setbacks to poverty reduction and sustainable development due to the COVID-19 pandemic, place human health and well-being at serious risk. Healthy ecosystems are fundamental for thriving societies. In line with Switzerland’s interests, investing in Nature-based Solutions can jump-start a greener, equitable, job-rich development and serve as the lynch-pin in the response to climate change.
Objectives The overall objective for SDC in its partnership with IUCN is to contribute to the implementation of the Nature 2030 IUCN Programme 2021-2024 that aims at sustainable biodiversity management and climate resilience through both global policy influencing and regional eco-system conservation and rehabilitation and sustainable development.
Target groups

Direct target groups:

·       IUCN Secretariat

·       IUCN Regional Offices

Indirect target groups:

·       Policy and decision makers at global, regional and local levels;

·       Local communities;

·       Indigenous groups

Medium-term outcomes SDC aims at strengthening IUCN in its institutional and operational capacity as a Union to: i) deliver in a coherent and effective manner across all its programmatic objectives, ii) adapt, innovate and develop new solutions and incubate new initiatives in line with its programmatic objectives, iii) anticipate and build the necessary evidence base to address emerging issues, iv) leverage knowledge and consensus building through policy engagement at the global, regional and national levels, and iv) build longer-term relationships with local partners to ensure more participatory approaches and community-driven design and implementation.
Results

Expected results:  

IUCN will use part of SDC’s contribution for measures to strengthen its operational performance management capacities at the regional level, in order to further enhance development relevancy and effectiveness of the programmatic activities on the ground. These measures include:

·       recruitment and onboarding of monitoring and evaluation expertise in six operating regions of IUCN;

·       thematic evaluations and studies that focus on learning in view of elevating IUCN’s transformational change work;

·        establishment of a more independent evaluation function.


Results from previous phases:   IUCN has generated broad knowledge of the global state of nature that significantly contributed to global policy processes, notably the elaboration of the post-2020 biodiversity framework. The IUCN Red List of Threathened Species and Green List of Protected and Conserved Areas and related standards and guidelines are key references at global, regional and local levels for successful conservation and protection of biodiversity.
IUCN was instrumental in enhancing normative frameworks for effective and equitable governance of natural resources. On the ground, many IUCN projects supported and promoted community-led or protected area governance systems that were conducive to social and environmental benefits, and demonstrated the value of effective and equitable governance of natural resources.
The IUCN developed the concept of Nature based Solutions (NbS) that has been incorporated in major climate and biodiversity policy initiatives and into the operational strategies of multilateral and bilateral cooperation agencies and financing mechanisms in the field of climate change and biodiversity. In 2020, IUCN established a global NbS standard.
All in all, there is potential for IUCN i) to strengthen upscaling of projects and proven approaches for systemic change on the ground, and ii) to better match its normative leadership at all policy levels with enhanced transformative impact on the ground.


Directorate/federal office responsible SDC
Project partners Contract partner
Other International Organization
  • International Union for the Conservation of Nature
  • IUCN Secretariat, Gland (Switzerland)


Coordination with other projects and actors

SDC and the Federal Office for the Environment maintain close interaction and joint strategic reflections regarding IUCN and follow up on developments at the IUCN Secretariat and in the Council in order to align Switzerland’s positioning and interests with respect to IUCN.

SDC promotes cohesion among the various Framework Partners of IUCN in order to promote and sustain regular information exchange, improve coordination and foster alignment.

Budget Current phase Swiss budget CHF    6’000’000 Swiss disbursement to date CHF    6’000’000
Project phases Phase 1 01.01.2022 - 31.12.2024   (Current phase)