Organiser: IUCN
At the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Marseille, France, September 2021, IUCN Members adopted Resolution WCC 2020 Res123 establishing a process for development of an IUCN policy on synthetic biology in relation to nature conservation (www.iucn.org/synbio).
This encompassed both mobilisation of an inclusive and participatory process to ensure the voice of a broad cross-section of IUCN’s constituency into the process, and appointment of a formal Policy Development Working Group by the IUCN President. The former has included numerous elements including a call for information, convening of the first-ever IUCN Citizens’ Assembly on the subject, Union-wide solicitation for documentation of risks, benefits, and uncertainties regarding potential applications, and specific engagement with IUCN Indigenous Peoples’ Organisation Members, National, Regional, and Inter-regional Committees, Commissions, and Regional Conservation Fora. The latter has convened three times; to develop a first draft policy which underwent Union-wide peer review; to develop a second draft on the basis of comments received, which then underwent further Union-wide review; and to develop a third draft on the basis of these comments in turn. The content of this third draft of the policy will be presented and discussed. The third draft has now been transmitted to IUCN Council for consideration as a motion to the 2025 IUCN World Conservation Congress in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
This session serves to provide an update on the process, and to invite further engagement in the online debate on motions, and at the 2025 Congress itself.