EVENTS

For 10 days in September 2016, over 10,000 delegates from 180 countries came to Honolulu to participate in the International World Conservation Congress. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status of the natural world and the measures needed to safeguard it.  IUCN was the first global environmental organization. Headquartered in Switzerland, during its 60 year history the IUCN had never met in the United States until gathering in Hawaii in 2016. The Obama administration selected Hawaii over other states to be the host. 

Hawaii became the piko, the focal point for discussing our earth's environment. Hawaii became an inspiring example of how to heal the planet. 

The Inspiration Hawaii Museum will create a virtual place to continue the conversation among the thousands of international delegates and the thousands of Hawaii residents who volunteered to help host the IUCN Congress.

The Hawai‘i Commitments. 

The document  addresses issues such as sustaining world food supplies, maintaining the health of the oceans, wildlife trafficking, engaging with the private sector, and building resilience to climate change.

The Hawai‘i Commitments highlight nature-based solutions to climate change, such as the restoration of forests and peatlands, as essential components of climate mitigation and adaptation. The document also stresses the role of Indigenous peoples and women from local communities as critical to successfully implementing the Paris Agreement.

An announcement was made by President Obama to expand the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, making it the biggest protected area on the planet. 

Hawai‘i, in the heart of the Pacific Ocean, provided the context for the IUCN Congress, infusing it with the tradition of living in harmony with nature.