• Developing the IUCN Urban Nature Index –
As part of the global strategy on the roll-out of the IUCN Urban Nature Indexes (UNI) and its web-platform, the Secretariat is developing a professional certificate on measuring and monitoring urban nature, set to kick-off in February 2025. The course will focus on the themes and structure of the IUCN Urban Nature Indexes and will leverage existing applications of the methodology. IUCN staff, Commissions and partners will teach how to use the UNI to evaluate, plan, and measure the impact of urban conservation initiatives; train attendants on scientific methodologies to assess cities’ influence on urban biodiversity and tackle challenges related to nature conservation as well as climate change mitigation and adaptation; and finally present case studies from initiatives applying these lessons to local contexts.
The adoption of IUCN’s Urban Nature Indexes has been a pivotal step in advancing the implementation of the resolution "Call for Nature in Cities Agendas and Strengthening the IUCN Urban Alliance." These Indexes provide a standardized framework to measure, monitor, and report on the ecological performance of urban areas, empowering cities to integrate nature-based solutions into their planning processes. By highlighting key indicators such as green space accessibility, biodiversity health, and ecosystem services, the indices enable policymakers, urban planners, and IUCN members to evaluate progress toward achieving nature-positive outcomes in cities. Their uptake has fostered collaboration among local governments, civil society, and private sectors, ensuring that urban agendas prioritize biodiversity conservation and climate resilience. This tool has also reinforced the Urban Alliance’s mission to mainstream nature in urban development globally, demonstrating how data-driven approaches can scale up urban nature solutions. The IUCN urban nature indexes were already applied by cities such as Guatemala City, Mexico City, Berlin, San Salvador de Jujuy (Argentina), while other cities such as Paris, Barcelona, Chiang Rai and Surat Thani (Thailand) started assessment.
• Convening stakeholders to advance urban conservation action –
The Secretariat has coordinated urban-related sessions at different international events to promote the Union’s work on urban conservation and highlight some key strategic partnerships. Some examples include the 19th session of the Global Forum on Human Settlements (New York, USA, 24 October 2024), where IUCN was a co-organiser and developed a session on urban Nature-based Solutions. The 16th Conference of Parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity (Cali, Colombia, 21 October – 1 November 2024) was a platform where conversations around nature-positive urban development, monitoring frameworks for urban biodiversity and subnational government engagement took place. The Berlin Urban Nature Pact, a new framework for cities to contribute to the Global Biodiversity Framework which is supported by IUCN and ICLEI was launched at CBD-COP16.Finally, the 12th session of the World Urban Forum (Cairo, Egypt, 4-8 November 2024) hosted an IUCN-led high-level panel on green infrastructure. As part of these events, partner organisations, subnational governments, IUCN members, Secretariat staff and IUCN Councillors have been mobilised to raise awareness of the urban programme of work.
• Publishing case studies via PANORAMA Solutions –
Thanks to the launch of the revamped PANORAMA web-platform in early 2024, the visibility of the different communities has increased. The PANORAMA Cities community, jointly coordinated by IUCN and the World Bank, has continued to grow and as of November 2024 hosts 247 solutions on urban sustainable development.
• Reviewing and strengthening the governance arrangements of the IUCN Urban alliance, including enabling the chair to be drawn from Members, Commissions or Council; and
In 2023, in response to Resolution 067, the Secretariat carried out a stocktake on the composition and operations of the IUCN Urban Alliance. The review aimed at further informing how the Alliance could continue to serve as a strategically focused and relevant body that advises on and supports IUCN’s growing programme of work on urban. Some of the findings of the review advised to make the UA an advisory body to the IUCN Council under the mandate of the DG, and the IUCN urban programme of work its implementing branch, and for it to reflect the Membership and geographical distribution of the Union. As a result, a call for interest was circulated among IUCN Commissions and Members, and two co-Chairs were recruited externally. The revised Urban Alliance was launched on 14 February 2024 and counts 15 members to date, representative of the broad constituency of IUCN (state, subnational government, NGO, IPO, CEC, CEM, WCPA).
• Guidance on urban NbS
The Secretariat is further strengthening its urban programme of work by bridging different IUCN knowledge products that relate to urban and NbS. Currently, guidelines on the implementation and application of the IUCN Global Standard on Nature-based Solutions in cities and urban ecosystems is being developed. The guidelines are to be launched at IUCN World Conservation Congress in 2025 and will enhance the role of subnational governments in contributing to global conservation initiatives such as the Global Biodiversity Framework (target 12).
