The IUCN Council is the principal governing body of IUCN - The World Conservation Union in between sessions of the World Conservation Congress - the general assembly of the Union's members.

The Council is responsible for the oversight and general control of all the affairs of IUCN, subject to the authority of the World Conservation Congress.

The Council is composed of:

• the President;
• the Treasurer;
• three Regional Councillors from each of IUCN's eight Statutory Regions (Africa, Meso and South America, North America and the Caribbean, South and East Asia, West Asia, Oceania, East Europe, North and Central Asia and West Europe);
• a representative of IUCN's Host Country - the Swiss Confederation;
• the Chairs of IUCN's six Commissions; and
• five additional Councillors chosen by Council on the basis of diverse qualifications, interests and skills.

The elected members of Council hold office from the close of the World Conservation Congress to the close of the next ordinary session of the Congress.

President:

Mr Mohammed Valli Moosa, South Africa

Treasurer:

Sven Sandström, Sweden

Regional Councillors:

	Africa Accel Arnaud Ndinga-Makanda, Congo Amadou Ba, Senegal Zohir Sekkal, Algeria
	Meso and South America Juan Marco Alvarez, El Salvador Cláudio Carrera Maretti, Brazil Silvia Sánchez Huamán, Peru
	North America and the Caribbean Lynn Holowesko, Bahamas Huguette Labelle, Canada Russell Mittermeier, USA
	South and East Asia   Nobutoshi Akao, Japan Ma Keping, China Monthip Sriratana Tabucanon, Thailand
	West Asia Talal Al-Azimi, Kuwait Mr Ali Darwish, Lebanon Mr Javed Jabbar, Pakistan
	Oceania Lionel Gibson, Fiji Christine Milne, Australia Diana Shand, New Zealand
	East Europe, North and Central Asia Kalev Sepp, Estonia Alexey Yablokov, Russia Marija Zupancic-Vicar, Slovenia
	West Europe Purificació Canals, Spain Alistair Gammell, UK Manfred Niekisch, Germany

Appointed Councillors:

	Abdul-Muyeed Chowdhury, Bangladesh G. A. Boon von Ochssée, Netherlands Aroha Te Pareake Mead, New Zealand

Representative of the Swiss Confederation

Dr Pierre Hunkeler, Switzerland

Commission Chairs

	Commission on Ecosystem Management Dr Hillary Masundire, Zimbabwe Chair, Commission on Ecosystem Management
	Commission on Education and Communication Mr Keith Wheeler, USA Chair, Commission on Education and Communication
	Commission on Environmental, Economic and Social Policy Dr Taghi Farvar, Iran Chair, Commission on Environmental, Economic and Social Policy
	Commission on Environmental Law Ms Sheila Abed, Paraguay Chair, Commission on Environmental Law
	World Commission on Protected Areas Mr Nikita Lopoukhine, Canada Chair, World Commission on Protected Areas
	Species Survival Commission Dr. Holly T. Dublin, USA Chair, Species Survival Commission