Everything That Ever Happened, We Knew About in Panama

So everything that ever happened, we knew about in Panama. – Ruben Blades The 2012 meeting of the International Whaling Commission will be held in Panama City, Panama, from June 15th through July 5th.  Given what will be on the Commission’s agenda, it seems appropriate for the meeting to be in session on July 4th. [...]

Science? We Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Science!

I cringe when I hear people claim to know all about the IWC and its antics, because after all, they’ve seen The Cove.  Though the film rightfully targets the lowest hanging fruit to illustrate the organization’s absurdity, the IWC is incredibly complex and nuanced, and yes… there is something good – actually exemplary – that [...]

The Velvet Glove Gives Whales The Velvet ‘Finger’

On the final day of the meeting of the IWC, Latin American nations Brazil and Argentina’s joint proposal to establish the South Atlantic Whale Sanctuary was presented and debated on the plenary floor, invoking comments from commissioners representing 28 countries (comments can be reviewed in a previous post), setting the stage for a showdown and [...]

Them’s Fightin’ Words!

If your impression of the International Whaling Commission is that of a hopelessly contentious, immature, Machiavellian theater of drama, then the final day of the General Commission of the 2011 International Whaling Commission did not disappoint. The day began “promptly at 9:00 a.m.” – 9:40 a.m. IWC time – with a proposal by the Governments [...]

IWC Takes Baby $teps Towards Reform, Hopes it Doesn’t Trip

Today’s plenary centered around the seemingly innocuous and boring heading of “Financial and Administrative matters”.  Under consideration was UK’s resolution, “On Improving the Effectiveness of Operations within the International Whaling Commission”.  You may be thinking, “That ought to be a snap; who wouldn’t want to improve the organization’s effectiveness?” But you would be wrong. Issues [...]

“Can’t Buy Me Love… Or Can I?”

Today the Commission had a golden opportunity to advance reforms to the IWC, beginning with the lowest-hanging fruit:  prohibiting cash payments of IWC fees, and instead requiring bank transfers.  This was a very important reform to adopt, not only for pragmatic purposes of financial transparency and accountability, but also symbolically.  The perception of IWC is [...]

Safety at Sea, IWC Style

As is their standard practice at IWC, Japan requested an intervention under the IWC agenda item “Safety at Sea” to give their “We Hate Sea Shepherd” presentation.  I naively expected that after two years, delegate Joji Morishita (now infamous for his appearance in “The Cove”) would at least change up the presentation even a little [...]

The Balance of Power within IWC

Right out of the gate, IWC delegates were facing a crisis at this year’s meeting – the Commission was without an Acting Chair with which to conduct the Plenary.  Former Acting Chair Anthony Liverpool tenured his resignation effective July 11th – the first day of the Commission – and in fact, he didn’t attend any [...]

IWC Transparency: Clear as Mud

The United Kingdom is advancing a proposal to enhance the transparency and efficacy of IWC operations and governance.  The proposal includes a number of reforms to align IWC procedures with best, if not standard, international practice, “based on the procedures applied in various international conventions, including multilateral environmental agreements.”  Despite the fact that the IWC [...]

The Trojan Horse

For ACS and other NGOs, the 2011 IWC meeting in Jersey began as an all-out marathon of meetings, strategizing sessions, and information exchange. Last year’s failed US-led effort to ‘legitimize’ commercial whaling is still fresh in our minds, and an air of mistrust underscores much of the preparations today for the week’s plenary session and [...]