Governments vote for recognition of ecocide at world’s largest conservation congress

Summary

At its World Conservation Congress in Abu Dhabi (9-15 October), the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the world's largest and most diverse environmental network, comprising more than 1,400 member organisations including states, government agencies, civil society groups and Indigenous Peoples' organisations, has voted to adopt Motion 061, "Recognising the crime of ecocide to protect nature."

The motion passed with a clear majority of votes cast by states and government agencies, and an overwhelming majority among NGOs and Indigenous Peoples organisations*.

Motion 061 called on states to recognise ecocide as a serious crime in national and international law and recommended that States Parties to the Rome Statute evaluate an amendment to make ecocide an explicit ICC crime in peacetime and during armed conflict. It also tasked IUCN’s World Commission on Environmental Law to produce practical guidance on the scope and application of prosecuting ecocide, including how prosecutions can support ecosystem restoration and safeguard geodiversity, with Council support and Director General dissemination to members no later than one year before the 2029 Congress. It commended states that have taken a leadership role on ecocide law and invited others to consider adopting domestic legislation.

The motion was co-sponsored by Vanuatu, which led the 2024 proposal to the International Criminal Court with Fiji and Samoa and is now backed by the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), alongside leading NGOs including The Wildlife Trusts, Born Free Foundation, Gallifrey Foundation, Earth League International, Earth Law Center, Synchronicity Earth, A Rocha Ghana, Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers’ Association, The Conflict and Environment Observatory, Africa Institute for Energy Governance, Environment and Conservation Organisations of Aotearoa New Zealand, Fundación Oxígeno, la Fundación Española para la Defensa del Patrimonio Geológico y Minero, SEBICOP (Sociedad Española de Biología de Conservación de las Plantas), Vitalis, Fundación Charles Darwin and Fundación Futuro Latinoamericano Ecuador, Pronaturaleza Peru, LIDEMA Bolivia, Fundación Hábitat y Desarrollo Argentina, Preserve Planet Costa Rica, ARPEMG Brazil, and Indigenous Peoples Organizations such as COICA (Coordinadora de las Organizaciones Indígenas de la Cuenca Amazónica) and AIDESEP Peru.  

The vote means IUCN, a globally influential body whose resolutions often shape national and international environmental policy, has formally called for recognition of ecocide as a serious crime under both national and international law.

Jojo Mehta, CEO and co-founder of Stop Ecocide International, said: "This vote is a watershed. IUCN brings together a singularly broad coalition of governments, civil society, Indigenous groups and scientific experts. Its support for recognising ecocide as a national and international crime sends a powerful signal to states and lawmakers worldwide.

“Ecocide law elevates the gravest harm to nature from a cost of doing business to a crime. By drawing a clear boundary in criminal law, it deters reckless decisions, aligns markets with ecological limits, and affirms that communities and ecosystems are entitled to justice when damage is severe and lasting.

“Momentum is now converging. Vanuatu, Fiji and Samoa are leading at the ICC, backed by the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Regional ecocide frameworks are emerging across Europe and Africa. IUCN now adds its authority.”

“The direction of travel is clear. Ecocide law is rapidly moving from moral imperative to shared legal priority.”

Read Motion 061, “Recognising the crime of ecocide to protect nature”, here. 

*In the states and government agencies chamber, 62% of eligible weighted votes were cast and 77% of those votes were in favour. In the NGO and Indigenous People’s organisations chamber, 85% of eligible weighted votes were cast and 93% of those votes were in favour.