The IUCN World Protected and Conserved Areas Congress 2027, to be held in Panama City from 4-10 September 2027, is a landmark event for global conservation. Taking place at a critical juncture — with climate change, biodiversity loss, and sociopolitical fragmentation intensifying — IUCN World PCA Congress will help take stock of the final years of the Kunming-Montréal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) 2030 targets and contribute towards shaping area-based conservation priorities for the decades ahead.

Expected to draw over 7,000 delegates from 160 countries, the Congress will convene a diverse audience including CBD Parties, IUCN members and Commissions, protected and conserved area (PCA) managers and stewards, government ministers, sectoral development experts, business leaders, and municipal officials.  The IUCN World PCA Congress agenda is ambitious.

Key outputs include reviewing the global status of PCAs, sharing best practices, addressing challenges, mobilizing financial commitments, and developing legacy initiatives with a focus on the Mesoamerica region. The IUCN World PCA Congress will also advance progress on the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals, while reaffirming the foundational role of Indigenous Peoples and local communities (IPLCs) in conservation.

Ultimately, the IUCN World PCA Congress aims to reshape political and financial commitments to protected and conserved areas, catalyzing the action needed to address the planet's interconnected environmental crises.

The side event's core objective is to raise awareness of the IUCN World PCA Congress among CBD Parties and gather their inputs on key successes, challenges, and priorities looking ahead. It will be an important opportunity to influence the developing programmatic agenda for the WPC27, and to help position the IUCN World PCA Congress as one of the world’s most important opportunities to shape the post-2030 agenda for protected and conserved areas.