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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 ymeeting. 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 12, 2009 The Context Paper for the Pew Whales Commission “Turning the Page: Bringing Whale Conservation into the 21st Century” is now 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. Meeting of the Pew Whales Commission, Lisbon, 9-10 February 2009 The Pew Environment Group is organizing the meeting of the Pew Commission on Whale Conservation in the 21st Century. This is the third major initiative of the Pew Whale Conservation Project. Previous actions included the “Pew Symposium on the Conservation of Whales in the 21st Century” held in New York at the United Nations’ headquarters in April 2007, and the symposium “Changing the Climate for Whales- Is there a Common Way Forward?” held in Tokyo at United Nations University in January 2008. The Lisbon meeting will take place on 9-10 February at the Headquarters of the Luso-American Foundation. Click here to read the Mandate of the Pew Whales Commission. Project Outline In June 2007, the parties to the International Whaling Commission (IWC) formally launched a process designed to resolve a number of highly controversial issues in advance of its June 2009 annual meeting in Madeira. This suite of issues has polarized the IWC for more than two decades to the detriment of effective international conservation and protection of whales. It remains extremely unclear whether the process will succeed or not. The Pew Whales Commission is designed to advance possible solutions that will enhance whale conservation and help the IWC meet its reform objectives. Whales face many threats in the 21st Century, including significant ongoing whaling operations, despite the existing moratorium on commercial whaling, by vessels of three IWC Member States benefiting from loopholes in the IWC’s constituent treaty, the 1946 International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling (ICRW). The number of whales and of species killed has been growing at levels determined by the whaling countries themselves and not subject to international oversight or regulation, contrary to provisions of the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Parties to the IWC and others have discussed specific solutions privately and publicly for many years. This meeting will evaluate diplomatic remedies and provide a series of specific recommendations to the IWC. Participants share common goals for whale conservation in the 21st Century, and they believe that successful solutions must:
We acknowledge recent progress to improve dialogue on international whale conservation. However, time is running out, on the 60th anniversary of the first meeting of the IWC that was held in 1949. All IWC parties, particularly those from the three whaling nations, need to take clear and unmistakable actions consistent with the obligation we all share of resolving these longstanding controversies and improving whale conservation. Observers In order to assist the Pew Whales Commission to perform its task and to enhance the transparency of its work, several observers will attend the meeting and be available for advice. This includes a small number of whale scientists, NGO representatives familiar with the whaling issue, a small and balanced number of IWC Commissioners (who can be classified as both pro- and anti-moratorium), and three to four journalists familiar with the issue. Chatham House ruleIn order to secure a conducive environment, the Chatham House Rule whereby no individual statement can be attributed unless its author has agreed will apply to all members of the Pew Whale Commission, all Observers, as well as to the journalists present and to the Earth Negotiations Bulletin team. The same arrangement worked fine at the previous symposia in New York and Tokyo. Venue and datesThe Luso-American Foundation in Lisbon will host the meeting of the Commission, in partnership with the Pew Environment Group. The venue is particularly appropriate given that in 2009 the Annual Meeting of the IWC will take place in Portugal. The Pew Whales Commission is a private initiative, but we benefit from the collaboration of the Portuguese Government, including the participation of Portugal’s Environment Secretary Humberto Rosa who will welcome the meeting during the opening session. The Portuguese and other governments as well as other key stakeholders, are kept informed of our progress. Held exactly one month before the IWC holds an intersessional meeting to consider a way forward, we trust that the Pew Whales Commission can contribute to the success of the Annual meeting of the IWC in Madeira in June 2009. Scope and TimelineThe Pew Whales Commission will meet in plenary session for two days on 9-10 February 2009. It will issue its report within two weeks after its plenary session. The report will be made available to all governments, including those that are member of the IWC, and stakeholders with whale conservation interests. The Pew Environment Group will serve as the Commission’s Secretariat. It will prepare appropriate background and briefing materials, develop internal and external communications strategies, and provide administrative and management support. The Pew Whales Commission will seek to be as transparent and inclusive as possible, given the practical limitations of the project. The Secretariat will solicit the views of interested parties and it welcomes unsolicited input. The Chairman of the IWC Bill Hogarth has welcomed this initiative, and so have several key governments from “both sides” of the whale conservation debate. We have also informed key environmental NGOs and we will continue to seek their opinion. Subject to the views of the Pew Whales Commission, it is likely that the final report will include short- and long-term recommendations to the IWC and its parties, including suggested changes to the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling and/or its schedule. It will strive to articulate specific recommendations and principles whenever possible. The Pew Whales Commission will be guided by its commitment to improve protection for whales and to define workable solutions for the future. For further information: To contact the Secretariat: |
Cliquez ici pour la version en Français. Chairperson
Secretariat
ENB Reporting of the Commission
Click below for ENB Online reporting of the Pew Whales Commission: See also:
Whales in the Media Online Guide to Whales Click on the following link to find all there is to know about different whale species.
Whale Watching in Portugal Portugal prides itself for having achieved a perfect transition in the Azores and Madeira from a form of whaling traditional by excellence, to having become a leading country in whale watching. Below is a list of whale-watching providers in the Azores and Madeira. Their contribution to the local economies exceeds that of the former whale hunting activities, and creates employment for former whale-hunters and boatmen. Azores: www.azoresoceanland.com Madeira: www.madeiranature.com
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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 
