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The International Whaling Commission is an Inter-governmental Organisation whose purpose is the conservation of whales and the management of whaling.  The legal framework of the IWC is the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling.  This Convention was established in 1946, making it one of the first pieces of international environmental legislation.  All member countries of the IWC are signatories to this Convention.  The IWC has a current membership of 88 Governments from countries all over the world.

Chair: Lorenzo Rojas-Bracho, Mexico
Vice-chair: Rosie Carpenter, UK

The Conservation Committee considers a wide range of cetacean conservation issues, and its role continues to evolve.  The Conservation Committee collaborates closely with the Scientific Committee to understand and address a range of threats to whales and their habitats. 

An important feature of the Convention is the emphasis it places on scientific advice. The Convention requires that amendments to the Schedule ‘shall be based on scientific findings’. To this end, the Commission has established a Scientific Committee.

This page is primarily for members of the IWC Scientific Committee and includes links to those sections related to its work, workshops and working groups.

Find more on iwc.int

The inforMEA is the United Nations Information Portal on Multilateral Environmental Agreements and other IGOs, an online portal that provides information to the public. The InforMEA initiative is facilitated by the United Nations Environment Programme and supported by the European Union.

The IWC (International Whaling Commission) has been participating since 2020.