Azzedine Downes receives the Order of the California Condor Award at IUCN Congress

(Abu Dhabi, 12 October 2025) - The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) has announced today that its President & CEO, Azzedine Downes, was one of four recipients bestowed with The Order of the California Condor on 12 October, during the 2025 IUCN World Conservation Congress. Created by conservationist and artist Patricio Robles Gil, the prestigious award recognizes individuals whose life's work reflects extraordinary dedication to protecting species and wild nature. Downes was selected in recognition of his more than 25 years of transformative leadership in global conservation-particularly his efforts to include indigenous knowledge and the voices of local communities living alongside wildlife in the broader dialogue of conservation. Other recipients included Dr. Syliva Earle, Dr. Russell Mittermeir, and Dr. Laurie Marker.

"The sculpture I created depicts the condor in defiance," said Robles Gil. "In turn, it turns its long neck back, and with its beak slightly open, confronts us. It challenges us for our passivity, ignorance, indifference, arrogance, and greed. Its talons grip the rock and the earth tightly, symbolizing permanence and the millennia-old struggle against extinction."

Embodying endurance, renewal, and the millennia-long struggle against extinction, the bronze sculpture was depicting a California condor in mid-flight, was inspired by the recovery of the species once extinct in Mexico. As Robles Gil explains, "Its upward-reaching form and defiant posture symbolize hope, resilience, and the human commitment to safeguard biodiversity. "The condor is not just a bird; it is a testament to what is possible when humanity chooses to protect life against the odds."

"This recognition is not mine alone," said Downes. "It belongs to every ranger, researcher, scientist, community, and partner, IFAW works alongside with on the frontlines as stewards of our shared planet. The recovery of the condor reminds us of what is possible when we act with conviction, when we are determined to make an impact-and that we must never give up hope. No act is inconsequential. We are all capable of a ripple effect that determines a more hopeful future for us all."

PRESS CONTACTS:

Kinda Jabi (IFAW)
Communications Manager - Executive Office, IFAW
e: Kjabi@ifaw.org
m: +971 55 626 1017