I’m in Madeira, a Portuguese island in the Atlantic and the host of this year’s annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission. The IWC, as it’s known, is the peak international body for deciding upon all issues related to whales and whaling.
It’s also my first IWC meeting as a Greenpeace whales campaigner. To be honest, my first impression of the IWC is that it’s like a tired, old man who is at the end of his life.
Back in 1982, the IWC was in full vigour and had reached its prime. Youthful, full of optimism and seen as a role model among international bodies, the IWC brought in, by consensus, a ban on commercial whaling.
But the past 20 years or so have seen a steady decline. The IWC is now seen as a bit of a joke as far as international bodies are concerned, and has been plagued with years of deadlocks, vote rigging and failed discussions. It has failed to bring about the full end of commercial whaling, which is now disguised under the term “scientifc whaling” by the Japanese Government.
Last year, there was a last ditch effort to breathe fresh air into this decaying body when it was decided that a small working group be set up to discuss the ‘future of the IWC’. Ominous.
After a full year of discussions there has been no break-through. The big sticking point is the Japanese Government’s ‘scientific’ whaling program. The Japanese Government has refused to suspend its whaling program in order for discussions to occur in good faith.
The options that have been put on the table would not see an end to Japanese ‘scientific’ whaling and truly represent a complete accomodation of Japan’s wishes.
So, this year’s IWC is back to square one.
If no agreement is reached, then the conservation-minded countries like Australia should consider putting diplomacy aside and accept that the tired old IWC will not be the forum to end whaling once and for all.
Instead, efforts to embarrass and escalate pressure upon the Japanese Government until the whale killing ends should be reinvigorated.
How is the world split on the whaling issue?
Not all countries are members of the IWC. There are currently 85 member countries of the IWC, some of which are landlocked. These split along the lines of those supporting whale conservation and those supporting whaling.
