News 19 Dec, 2025

Sabah Parks, Malaysia to Co-Chair Asia Protected Areas Partnerships

Bangkok, Thailand, 19 December 2025 (IUCN) – The Asia Protected Areas Partnership (APAP) Steering Committee has approved Sabah Parks, Malaysia, to serve as Co-Chair for the 2026-2028 term, with the appointment confirmed during the 13th APAP Steering Committee Meeting held on 15 December.

The appointment recognises Sabah Parks’ longstanding leadership and contributions to protected and conserved areas across Asia, including its role as host and co-organiser of the 2nd Asia Parks Congress in 2022. Sabah Parks has been an active and committed member of APAP, contributing to regional dialogue, peer learning, and capacity building for protected and conserved areas.

Upon assuming the role of APAP Chair, Sabah Parks will organise and host a high-level meeting of APAP member countries and partner institutions. This meeting will focus on jointly discussing and developing a regional roadmap towards Asia’s contributions to the IUCN World Parks Congress, to be held in Panama in 2027.

Through this leadership role, Sabah Parks, in close collaboration with the APAP Secretariat and IUCN Asia, will further support capacity building of APAP member countries and strengthen regional cooperation towards the effective implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KM-GBF), particularly Target 3 on protected and conserved areas. Sabah Parks will provide strategic guidance to APAP, support the delivery of agreed regional priorities, and help advance a cohesive, ambitious, and inclusive agenda for protected and conserved areas in the lead-up to the World Parks Congress.

About APAP

The Asia Protected Areas Partnership (APAP) is a regional partnership that promotes effective management of protected and conserved areas across Asia by facilitating cooperation, knowledge exchange and joint action among government agencies and partners.

APAP is co-chaired between a partner country and the IUCN Asia Regional Office. The Co-Chairs steer the regional partnership platform in enhancing capacity of national institutions for scaling up governance and effective management of protected and conserved areas. A formal handover will take place in 2026.

Notes to news editors

For more information or to set up interviews, please contact:

Ryo Sekiguchi, Senior Stakeholder Engagement and Communications Officer, IUCN Asia Regional Office
[email protected]