NEW DELHI – Eswatini has joined eight other countries in endorsing the formation and leadership of the newly launched International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA), a coalition focused on protecting seven major wild cat species and their habitats around the world.
The first official assembly of the IBCA took place on 16 June 2025 in New Delhi, India, bringing together ministerial representatives from Bhutan, Cambodia, Guinea, India, Kazakhstan, Liberia, Somalia, Suriname, and the Kingdom of Eswatini.
Representing the country at the gathering was the Minister of Tourism and Environmental Affairs, Jane Mkhonta Simelane, who joined her counterparts in ratifying the coalition’s founding decisions, including its governance framework and operational roadmap. 
The Assembly endorsed India’s Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav as the IBCA President, and S.P. Yadav as Director General. IBCA will be headquartered in India and will focus on conservation efforts for tigers, lions, leopards, snow leopards, jaguars, cheetahs and pumas — all classified as big cats across different continents.
With Eswatini’s commitment, the alliance now moves forward with 95 member countries aiming to pool resources, expertise and conservation strategies to halt the decline in big cat populations and protect ecological systems threatened by climate change and habitat loss.
The initiative is backed by India’s National Tiger Conservation Authority and seeks to position big cat conservation as a key pillar in the global biodiversity protection agenda.
