Joji MORISHITA, PhD 
IWC69 in Lima Peru (©Institute of Cetacean Research)
The 69th Session of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) was held in 2024 from September 23 to 27 in Lima, Peru. The IWC Session is held every other year. Japan participated in IWC69 as an observer rather than a member of the IWC as it withdrew from the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling (ICRW) at the end of June 2019. Observers do not have voting rights in decision-making but are allowed to speak on the floor.
Several important proposals were discussed at IWC69, which we will examine in detail in this series. We will also consider the future direction of the IWC in light of the outcome of IWC69.
First of 5 parts
Second: IWC69 Report: Main IWC Agenda Items of the Session
Third: IWC69 Report: Catch Quotas and Sanctuary
Fourth: IWC69 Report: Nonbinding Resolutions
Conclusion: IWC69 Report: What the Results Show Us
'Zombie' Conventions and the IWC
About the future direction of the IWC, an interesting article was published in the prestigious scientific journal Nature in August before IWC69. The article is entitled "Dismantle 'zombie' wildlife protection conventions once their work is done."
Its lead author is Peter Bridgewater, who served as IWC Chair from 1994 to 1997 and is known for his fairness and integrity. His current titles include Honorary Professor at the Centre for Heritage and Museum Studies at the Australian National University.
The content of the discussion can be guessed from the title, but some of the noteworthy statements are quoted below.
From the Journal 'Nature'
"Almost 80 years after it was created, the International Whaling Convention has outlived its usefulness. Ending it could set an example for other organizations.
"The IWC will hold its 69th meeting in Lima in September. As the convention nears its 80th anniversary, we propose that the IWC hands over several pending issues to other conventions and national governments and closes up shop.
"The IWC's accomplishments — managing global whale populations and especially implementing a moratorium on commercial whaling in 1985 — are laudable. But these achievements lie four decades in the past. IWC meetings since have been a source of acrimonious and fruitless dialogue among member nations. By exiting with dignity, the IWC would set a powerful example for the international environmental community.
"In 2018, political scientist Julia Gray at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, defined an international convention or organization that consumes time, energy, and resources without generating added value as a zombie institution. Such institutions project the illusion of solving problems even when they persist or no longer exist.
"Zombie organizations undermine the very idea of multilateralism, in which multiple countries form an alliance to pursue a common goal. Proud legacies and historical achievements are important. But allowing institutions to become zombies serves no one."
Anti-whaling country officials, who view the IWC as the one and only international organization for the protection of whales, naturally opposed the Bridgewater article. IWC 69 was held under such fire.
Important Agenda
It was an important meeting for the future of the IWC. Such issues as the renewal of the Aboriginal Subsistence Whaling (ASW) strike limits, which happens once in six years, the proposal to establish a South Atlantic Whale Sanctuary, which is a long-held desire of Latin American countries, and the serious financial crisis of the IWC, were on the agenda.
For the Latin American countries in particular, this was a crucial IWC meeting. They were aiming to adopt the proposal to establish the South Atlantic Whale Sanctuary in Lima in their region. The proposal had failed to pass at the previous IWC68 (held in Portorož, Slovenia, in October 2022) due to a lack of quorum for decision-making.
However, from the first day of the IWC69 meeting, the author felt a strange sense of emptiness. There were almost no members of the media in the venue. Before Japan withdrew from the IWC, the first day of the IWC meeting was usually packed with the mass media. And anti-whaling groups took advantage of the occasion to make their presence known through demonstrations and events. Media coverage after the IWC69 meeting was also extremely weak. That was perhaps due in part to the results described in the following three-part report.
This article was first published on Whaling Today, a website featuring the history, culture and other information about whales and Japanese sustainable whaling. Read the Series: IWC69 Report
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- IWC68: An International Whaling Commission in Crisis
The series is published in cooperation with the Institute of Cetacean Research in Japan. Let us hear your thoughts in our comments section.
Author: Joji Morishita, PhD
Former Professor, Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology
The views and policies expressed in this article are the author's own and may differ from those of the Japanese government. Any misunderstandings or errors contained herein are the sole responsibility of the author.
