IWC – International Whaling Commission
Austria has participated in the annual meetings of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) since 1994 and has been a party to the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling (Federal Law Gazette No. 44/1995) since 1995. Experts from the Federal Ministry have been committed to the comprehensive protection of all whale and dolphin species for years.
Austria has participated in the annual meetings of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) since 1994 and has been a party to the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling (RIS) since 1995. Experts from the Federal Ministry have been committed to the comprehensive protection of all whale and dolphin species for years.
In recent years, Austria has contributed significantly to the introduction of environmentally relevant issues and has therefore participated in the reorientation of the International Whaling Commission from a purely whaling-related organization to one more focused on environmental issues. With the goal of mainstreaming environmental issues within the International Whaling Commission, Austria also plays a leading role in the relevant working group of the Scientific Committee.
Austria's key messages are: maintaining the moratorium on commercial whaling, strict and comprehensive regulations on whaling by indigenous peoples, ending research methods that are lethal to whales, and designating new protected areas.