6 September 2012: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has welcomed the opening of the fifth International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Conservation Congress (WCC). Speaking by video, Ban said the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20) had reinforced that well-being depends on taking nature into account in all decision-making, and in order to turn the commitments from Rio+20 into a lasting legacy, a combination of science and passion is needed.

The Congress is convening in Jeju, Republic of Korea, from 6-15 September 2012. Ban underscored that the theme of the Congress, “the Resilience of Nature,” shows that, despite formidable environmental challenges, there is still time to change course, and he committed to work toward that key endeavor. [UN Press Release] [Statement of UN Secretary-General]