Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak, President of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, advocated for Indigenous Leadership, nature financing, and the importance of diverse voices and integrated solutions during Climate Week NYC.
During the 2025 Climate Week NYC, which took place September 22 to 26, Ms. Al Mubarak attended several events and bilateral meetings focused on the alignment of efforts on conservation finance, governance, and Indigenous-led outcomes.
Highlights of the summit include:
1️⃣ The Making COP30 Deliver for Indigenous Peoples & Local Communities, where attendees gathered at the Ford Foundation Center for Social Justice to reaffirm that Indigenous Peoples are not just stakeholders, but leaders in their own right. Ms. Al Mubarak shared the opening remarks to the roundtable and participated in conversations focusing on advancing political and financial commitments, strengthening land and forest tenure rights, and building on the London Call to Action.
2️⃣ The inaugural Nature Guardians Majlis — a dialogue space inspired by Emirati tradition and dedicated to powering transformative conservation. From New York to Abu Dhabi, this Majlis series will carry forward practical ideas, partnerships, and inputs moving forward.
3️⃣ The Global Study on Indigenous Peoples’ Climate Contributions. Together with the ELATIA Consortium and Indigenous Livelihood Enhancement Partners, Ms. Al Mubarak and partners introduced early findings from this landmark two-year study:
“The insights are clear: Indigenous knowledge systems, when paired with science, can deliver more accurate forecasting and more effective adaptation. But for these solutions to scale, land rights and finance must go hand in hand.”
4️⃣ Ms. Al Mubarak attended the Sustainable Development Impact Meetings: Champions for Nature and Friends of Ocean Action, as Co-Chair of the World Economic Forum’s Champions for Nature. She delivered the opening remarks at the high-level roundtable exploring how to align public and private finance with nature-positive outcomes.
5️⃣ The Tropical Forest Forever Facility High-Level Dialogue, hosted by Brazil — a dialogue focused on advancing momentum behind the TFFF, one of the boldest proposals yet to protect the world’s tropical forests, to be officially launched at COP30:
“I was proud to contribute to this growing coalition that brings together climate, biodiversity, and finance in a transformative framework — one that rewards performance, empowers #IndigenousPeoples, and aligns capital with conservation.”
6️⃣ At the Ocean Panel Leaders Meeting, Ms. Al Mubarak had the honor of welcoming fellow members to discuss building on the momentum of the third UN Ocean Conference, and share the UAE’s new commitments, including integrating ocean-based solutions into the next Nationally Determined Contribution, expanding blue-carbon initiatives, and scaling nature-based restoration across mangroves, coral reefs, and seagrass ecosystems.
7️⃣ The multiple Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures events helped advance much-needed momentum behind the initiative. Ms. Al Mubarak delivered opening remarks framing a milestone: more than 650 organizations have committed to the TNFD Framework, embedding nature into global finance and corporate governance.
“Through bilateral engagements with global leaders, from forest-rich nations to conservation partners, we shared our commitment to deep alignment on conservation finance, governance, and Indigenous-led outcomes.”
