The mission of IUCN, as a Union, is to influence, encourage and assist societies around the world to maintain the integrity and diversity of nature and to ensure that any use of natural resources is equitable and environmentally sustainable. A central secretariat coordinates the IUCN Programme. It serves the members of the Union, for whom it acts as a voice on the international scene and provides the strategies, services, scientific knowledge and technical support they need to achieve their goals. Through its six commissions, IUCN brings together more than 10,000 volunteer experts attached to action groups and project teams whose main objectives are the conservation of species and biological diversity, as well as the management of habitats and natural resources. The Union, which has helped many countries develop their National Conservation Strategies, demonstrates the relevance of its knowledge through the projects it oversees in the field. Increasingly decentralized, its activities are carried out by a rapidly expanding network of regional and national offices, located mainly in developing countries.

In order to safeguard natural resources locally, regionally and globally, IUCN relies on its members, networks and partners, building their capacities and supporting global alliances.