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Watching Whalers and Whales in Madeira Click here to read “Watching Whalers and Whales in Madeira”, an opinion piece by Rémi Parmentier, Senior Policy Adviser to the Pew Environment Group, published by the BBC on 22nd June for the opening of the IWC Annual Meeting.
Pew Statement to the 61st Annual Meeting of the International Whaling Commission, Madeira, Portugal, 22nd - 26th June 2009 Two weeks before the opening of the 61st Annual Meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) in Madeira, Portugal, the Pew Statement to that meeting has been released. The Pew Environment Group is pleased to have had the opportunity to observe and engage with the IWC for two years during the dialogue on the future of the whale conservation regime. Our public involvement in the whaling issue began in 2007 with the Pew Symposium on Whale Conservation in the twenty-first Century that was held at U.N. Headquarters in New York. It continued with the Pew Symposium, “A Change in Climate for Whales – Is There a Common Way Forward?” held at U.N. University Headquarters in Tokyo in January 2008. The Pew Whales Commission met a year later in February 2009 under the auspices of the Luso-American Foundation in Lisbon. In addition, with local partners and the Lenfest Ocean Program, Pew organized workshops and dialogues in the Caribbean and West Africa, and addressed the issue of the interaction of fisheries and great whales at the World Conservation Congress held in Barcelona, Spain, in October 2008. We are grateful to all the IWC Commissioners, scientists, NGO representatives, other government representatives and independent experts who have taken part in these meetings and discussions. Throughout this process we have made constructive recommendations to help the IWC move forward. We regret that some still argue that there is no need to modernize the IWC, ignoring changes in the world that have occurred in the last 60 years. Our experience in the last two years has confirmed our view that the IWC urgently needs to reflect the reality of contemporary multilateral environmental policy and law. Perhaps more than any other non-governmental entity, the Pew Environment Group has strongly supported the Future of the IWC Process. We are disappointed that the Small Working Group has not made sufficient progress to bring a package forward for consideration at the 2009 IWC meeting in Madeira. We are convinced that the current status quo is neither stable nor acceptable. We are happy to have contributed to a new political climate within the IWC. But we are deeply concerned over the continued fragility of the IWC and its whale conservation regime. In the interim, we will keep our options open in the hope that we can continue to provide a supporting role during and after the Madeira meeting. Click here to read the Pew Statement OCEAN LIFE SYMPOSIUM, DOMINICA REINFORCES CARIBBEAN WHALE CONSERVATION April 2009 The “Ocean Life Symposium” co-sponsored by the Pew Environment Group and the Eastern Caribbean Coalition for Environmental Awareness (ECCEA), in coordination with UNEP’s Caribbean Environment Programme (CEP), took place 23-25 March, 2009 at the Fort Young Hotel in Roseau, Commonwealth of Dominica, in the Eastern Caribbean. The Symposium is likely to be remembered as an important step to rehabilitate the role of the Caribbean region, and of the Commonwealth of Dominica in particular, in whale conservation. At the Symposium the Prime Minister of Dominica, The Hon. Roosevelt Skerrit, reaffirmed that Dominica would no longer support whaling at the International Whaling Commission (IWC) in keeping with what is in “the best national interest.” Dominica has become a pioneer in the Eastern Caribbean in promoting ecotourism and generally supporting environmentally sustainable development strategies. The Symposium also allowed representatives of governments and international and regional civil society organizations to engage directly with their counterparts in Dominica with a view to offering their support. Click here and find details on the Ocean Life Symposum, Dominica. Lisbon report presented at IWC Intersessional meeting 2nd March 2009
In presenting the Pew Commission report IWC/M09/Info 1 (also available in French), the Government of Portugal wrote: ‘A meeting of the Pew Whales Commission held in Lisbon, Portugal on 9-10 February 2009 addressed issues pertinent to the agenda of the intersessional Meeting on the Future of the IWC. Like several other delegations, Portugal attended this meeting as an observer. The Pew Whales Commission is an initiative of the Pew Environment Group. However we believe that delegations at the Intersessional Meeting would benefit from the Chair’s Summary produced after the Lisbon meeting. At IWC 59 the Chair’s Summary of the First Pew Whale Symposium had been submitted. The Chair’s Summary of the Second Pew Whale Symposium was also at the first Intersessional Meeting on the Future of the IWC held in Heathrow. With no prejudice to our position in Rome and in Madeira, Portugal is also submitting as an Information document the Chair’s Report of this third Pew meeting. The original version in English and its translation into French are both available.' Chair’s Summary of Lisbon Meeting Available 20th February 2009 
The Chair’s Summary of the meeting of the Pew Whales Commission held in Lisbon on 9th and 10th February 2009 is now publicly available, after a draft was reviewed by all participants and observers. This document with recommendations to the International Whaling Commission on its program of reform will be presented at the inter-sessional meeting of the IWC to be held in Rome at the headquarters of the FAO on 9th to 11th March. Click here to access the Chair’s Summary. Pew Whales Commission Calls for Ministers to Break Whaling Wall Lisbon, Portugal February 12, 2009
“The Pew Whales Commission agreed on the need for a higher level of political muscle to move the International Whaling Commission (IWC) out of its current impasse,” said Dr. Peter Bridgewater, Commission Chair and former chair of the IWC. “All agreed that the IWC must be preserved as the organization to conserve whales, but it needs to be brought up to date. The 1946 treaty simply does not protect whales from the threats of the 21st century.” The IWC is going through a process for reform, amidst controversy over Japanese whaling in the Southern Ocean. Last week, the IWC’s senior negotiator released a series of recommendations and options to break the impasse. “During our two-day meeting, almost all agreed that whaling in the Southern Ocean should end as rapidly as possible, and welcomed the IWC’s negotiator’s suggestion of an established whale sanctuary in the South Atlantic", said Dr. Bridgewater. Dr. Bridgewater reported widespread agreement among participants on a range of issues important to resolving the whaling controversies, including:
The full report from the Pew Whales Commission will be released in two weeks. The IWC will be hosting a special meeting to continue its negotiations in Rome on 9 - 11 March, 2009. This will be followed by its annual meeting in Madeira in June, 2009, during which the parties hope to reach agreement on a way forward. Contact: Dan Klotz (1-202-887-8855 / dklotz@pewtrusts.org / skype: dan.klotz.34) Start of the Pew Whales Commission Meeting Monday 9th February 2009
Presenters included Dr. W.K. de la Mare, who talked about science and precautionary management, Dr. Russel Leaper, who gave an overview of current whaling activities, Dr. Al Gillespie, who discussed compliance and enforcement, Dr. Susan Lieberman, who presented on different conservation tools, and Duncan Currie, who talked about UNCLOS and other instruments. It is hoped that the two-day meeting of the Pew Whales Commission can provide recommendations to assist the IWC in their process of charting its future.
Click here to view a graphical report of the day's meeting. COMMISSION UPDATE 2 FEBRUARY 2009 One week before the meeting of the Pew Whales Commission in Lisbon, the International Whaling Commission has published Ambassador de Soto’s report on the Small Working Group (SWG) on the Future of the IWC, including the Chair’s Suggestions on the Future of the IWC. Click here to download Ambassador de Soto’s report. COMMISSION UPDATE 28 JANUARY, 2009 The Pew Environment Group is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Peter Bridgewater as Chair of the Pew Whales Commission. Dr. Bridgewater replaces Leon Panetta, who was recently nominated by President Obama to head the US Central Intelligence Agency. We are deeply indebted to all that Mr. Panetta has done to move the work of this commission forward, and wish him the greatest success in his new endeavor. Dr. Peter Bridgewater, a dual citizen of Australia and the UK, has accepted to take in a personal capacity the position of Chair, and he is now working with the Secretariat in the final preparations forthe meeting of the Pew Whales Commission to be held in Lisbon, Portugal 9-10 February, 2009. Dr. Bridgewater is currently the chair of the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC), the statutory adviser to the UK Government on national and international nature conservation. He was the chair of the International Whaling Commission from 1995 to 1997, and was also the Secretary General of the Ramsar Convention on wetlands from 2003 to 2007. Agenda and Members of the CommissionThe Draft Agenda is now available on this website.
The list of the members of the Pew Whales Commission with biographic notes is also available. The Pew Whales is made up of eminent persons from the six continents, with broad and diverse experience in the fields of environmental and development policy and conflict management. The Pew Whales Commission will also benefit from the presence at their meeting in Lisbon of a number of invited experts in the field of whale conservation and management. Hosted by the Luso-American Foundation in Lisbon, the outcome of the Pew Whales Commission will be forwarded to the International Whaling Commission (IWC) as a contribution to the current “Future of the IWC process”. Key documents for the Pew Whales Commission are also available on this website:
COMMISSION UPDATE 27 JANUARY, 2009
Dr. Bridgewater replaces Leon Panetta, who was recently appointed by President Obama to head the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. We are deeply indebted to all that Mr. Panetta has done to move the work of this commission forward and wish him the greatest success in his new endeavor. COMMISSION UPDATE 26 JANUARY, 2009 The Policy Guide for the Pew Whales Commission is now available. In addition, the following documents are also available:
COMMISSION UPDATE JANUARY 7, 2009 We are currently evaluating the consequences of Mr. Panetta's expected nomination by President-elect Obama. The scope and timing of the Pew Whales Commission Lisbon meeting remain unchanged. This site will be regularly updated with the latest information. Thank you for your continued interest in the Commission's work. Pew Forms Whales Commission to help break IWC impasse 11th December 2008 To help bring an end to a longstanding stalemate over whaling, the Pew Environment Group is establishing the Pew Whales Commission, an international panel of independent experts that will meet in Lisbon, Portugal, to identify means for building consensus among the members of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) (See Mandate of the Pew Whales Commission). The Commission will be chaired by the Honorable Leon Panetta, who was White House Chief of Staff under President Clinton. A former California Congressman, Panetta is also Director of the Panetta Institute for Public Policy. The IWC is at a critical juncture. Its Member States are deadlocked over several key issues, threatening to undermine permanently the international body’s authority. The IWC’s commercial whaling moratorium, which entered into force more than 20 years ago, has been undercut by a few nations’ use of loopholes to continue whaling activities outside of international oversight. In addition, the stalemate leaves the IWC unable to address other current and emerging threats affecting the world’s whale populations such as climate change, ship strikes, noise and pollution. The Commission, meeting on February 9-10, 2009, will build upon two international gatherings Pew has convened previously – one in New York in 2007 and a follow-up in Tokyo earlier this year – that brought together stakeholders from across the government, business and NGO spectrum that are interested in finding creative solutions to whale conservation. Working in collaboration with the Lisbon-based Luso-American Foundation, the Commission will synthesize those efforts and seek new input from both whaling experts and civil society . The Pew Commission will consider a series of options on key issues and forward its recommendations to the IWC well in advance of the IWC’s June 2009 Annual Meeting in Madeira, Portugal. “Pew’s work on the whaling issue has always been centered on trying to get the right people to the table to create dialogue toward meaningful, measurable solutions that will endure,” said Joshua Reichert, managing director of the Pew Environment Group. “We recognize that making progress on international whale conservation is a labor-intensive, incremental process. The Pew Whales Commission is both a product of and a commitment to our maintaining that course of action.” The Commission will be made up of a select group of individuals drawn from diverse disciplines, including internationally respected specialists in such areas as maritime law, international dispute resolution, and environmental and marine science. “We will solicit external input, evaluate diplomatic remedies and provide a series of specific recommendations to the IWC,” said Panetta. “We believe that workable solutions need to advance binding, international measures that build on the IWC’s conservation achievements, including reinforcing the effectiveness of the moratorium on commercial whaling. We further believe that successful solutions must respect IWC-established whale sanctuaries and the non- lethal use of cetaceans, such as whale-watching, as a viable management option that allows IWC member states to benefit economically without harming whales”. Panetta added that whaling – with its complex history and deep emotional impact – is a bellwether issue in terms of international cooperation on a host of other environmental concerns, ranging from broader marine conservation to global warming. “We see this effort as a potentially powerful and replicable model for solving similar international environmental issues through productive discourse and consensus-building,” he said. For further information, please call:
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Pew Whales in the Press
Whales in the Media
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The Government of Portugal has submitted the report of the meeting of the Pew Whales Commission as an information document for the consideration of the 
The Pew Whales Commission, a high level body of diplomats, judges, lawyers, scientists and former Ministers, today called for government ministers to resolve the whaling stalemate.
Dr. Peter Bridgewater, a dual citizen of Australia and the UK, has accepted in personal capacity his appointment as Chair of the Pew Whales Commission. Dr. Bridgewater chairs the 
Reuters "
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