IUCN and Ipieca renew partnership to advance environmental performance and support the energy transition

The renewal builds on more than two decades of engagement between IUCN and Ipieca — a global association dedicated to advancing environmental and social performance across the energy transition — and formalises continued cooperation to improve industry practices, accelerate the energy transition, and strengthen nature-positive outcomes.  

“Ipieca and IUCN share a common vision: improving the environmental performance of the energy sector and ensuring that the transition to cleaner energy is inclusive, responsible and beneficial for local communities,” said Sophie Depraz, Deputy CEO of Ipieca. “Working together allows us to exchange knowledge, strengthen good practice, and ensure that nature and people remain at the centre of the transition.”  

Under the renewed MoU, IUCN and Ipieca will continue to collaborate on biodiversity and ecosystem management, Nature-based Solutions, water stewardship, and the integration of Indigenous Peoples and local communities in energy sector decision-making. The agreement also supports joint work on supporting the implementation of the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals.  

Stewart Maginnis, IUCN Deputy Director General, emphasised the importance of open dialogue with all sectors in driving systemic change. “There are differing views within the conservation community on working with the energy industry,” he said. “But constructive engagement is essential to ensure that this transition benefits nature and people. Through partnerships like this one, IUCN can play its role as a critical partner — promoting accountability, transparency and meaningful progress toward sustainability.”  

The partnership will focus on knowledge sharing through joint events, including Ipieca Week, the IUCN Leaders Forum, and peer-to-peer capacity-building workshops. For instance, the recent “Aligning Principles for Marine Net Positive Impact (NPI) in the Energy Sector” workshop at the IUCN Congress explored how offshore energy operations can contribute to nature-positive goals through practical, scalable methods.  

Check out Ipieca’s Marine NPI literature here: https://www.ipieca.org/resources/marine-npi-literature-review.

Additionally, the Ipieca Leaders Roundtable also held at the Congress brought together top representatives from the energy, financial and conservation sectors to strengthen climate-and-nature collaboration — further exemplified by the newly published co-use resource, “Co-use Opportunities in Wind and Solar Energy Projects”, available here: https://www.ipieca.org/resources/co-use.   

This collaborative effort is a testament to the power of cross-sector engagement in advancing sustainability goals.