For over 75 years, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has helped shape global environmental policy. With a presence in 160 countries, representation from 200 governments and over 1,400 NGOs, and formal Observer Status at the UN, the scale of IUCN’s governance is massive. And so is the documentation that comes with it.

Before 2024, managing the organization’s resolutions – some dating back decades – was slow and manual. Staff often spent weeks reviewing motions, checking for overlaps, or verifying historical context. Every four years, when the World Conservation Congress convened, hundreds of new proposals would land on the table. And someone had to make sure none of them repeated what had already been voted on.

This bottleneck led to the development of ChatR&R (Chat Resolution & Recommendation), an AI-driven tool tailored for IUCN’s policy structure. Instead of reading dozens of PDFs or relying on institutional memory, staff now ask a question in plain English – and get a clear, traceable answer grounded in their 1,500+ policy documents.

The difference is measurable:

• What once took up to two weeks can now be done in under 10 seconds
• Conflicting or redundant motions are automatically flagged
• Resolution data is accessible to policy professionals without technical training

But the impact isn’t just internal. Faster turnaround means motions can now be submitted closer to the assembly date – keeping discussions more relevant to current events. Accuracy has also improved, reducing the chance of duplications or missed precedent. IUCN expects the tool to play a central role in the upcoming 2025 Congress in Abu Dhabi.

Technically, the solution works by processing internal documents, user requests, and feedback through a natural language model. These are layered with external compliance frameworks and powered by technologies like Azure OpenAI and Cognitive Search. The result is a secure, flexible assistant that understands both the content and structure of policy at scale.

Francois Jolles, CIO of IUCN, describes it as a “big step forward” and IUCN’s first real experience with a custom AI solution. Beyond saving time, it’s enabling new digital workflows and freeing teams from low-value manual work. And perhaps more importantly, it’s helping a science-based organization like IUCN ensure that its policies remain transparent, traceable, and trusted.

Looking ahead, IUCN plans to expand access to ChatR&R, eventually allowing all members – not just professionals – to check and refine their motions before submission. It’s a clear example of how AI, when grounded in real governance needs, can improve both process and participation.

Explore more about artificial intelligence in governance, or see how AI policy software helps institutions like IUCN move from paper to action.

Choosing the Right Technology Partner

For IUCN, working with an external partner was nothing new – but finding the right fit was rare. Over the years, they’d collaborated with many vendors across global projects. According to CIO Francois Jolles, responsiveness was often a challenge, especially given IUCN’s decentralized structure and slow internal decision cycles.

What made this experience different was S-PRO’s ability to navigate complexity from day one. During the project kickoff, the team came prepared with a clear structure, the right questions, and a deep understanding of the organization’s needs. The cultural compatibility mattered too – both teams were internationally distributed and used to coordinating across regions and time zones.

Throughout the process, IUCN appreciated the mix of technical flexibility and delivery discipline. Even when delays came from their side, S-PRO adapted and kept the project on track. As Francois put it, the collaboration set a new benchmark for future vendors.

When Legacy Meets Agility

There’s something powerful about long-established institutions putting their trust in fast-moving, innovation-led teams. When global organizations with decades of history open up to new ways of working, it creates space for breakthroughs that aren’t just technical – they’re cultural. The IUCN and S-PRO collaboration shows that real change happens when expertise meets fresh perspective, and when tradition welcomes transformation. That’s where progress lives – not in tearing down the old, but in giving it smarter tools to thrive.