30. ANY OTHER BUSINESS (1993)

30. ANY OTHER BUSINESS

(from "Chairman's Report of the Forty-Fifth Annual Meeting")

The Russian Federation introduced a Resolution, co-sponsored by France, Germany, New Zealand, Spain, UK and USA, on whaling activities, by non-member states. This was based on the wide recognition of the IWC as an appropriate international organisation for the conservation, management and study of whales. Whaling by non-member states may be inconsistent with IWC regulations, and the Resolution is concerned with the collection of information from various sources, the study of the problem and its consideration at the next Annual Meeting.

The USA noted that this problem of whaling by non-members arose in both the Aboriginal Subsistence Whaling Sub-committee and the Scientific Committee.

Norway pointed out that the IWC was not the only organisation competent to deal with questions of whaling, since there is also international recognition of regional organisations such as NAMMCO. Dominica associated itself with these remarks.

Japan was concerned that the IWC's protectionist approach was not an incentive for non-members to come and join. It also had a different view on the preambular paragraph noting that the International Whaling Commission is the universally recognised competent international organisation in the sense of Article 65 of UNCLOS; similarly, it had a different understanding of this recognition in Chapter 17 of Agenda 21 of UNCED.

The Resolution (Appendix 18) was then adopted, noting these reservations.

The Netherlands drew attention to a document signed by fourteen Commissioners repeating their call last year for the Norwegian Government to reconsider its decision to take unilateral action on a resumption of commercial whaling, and urging it to continue to work with the Commission for the completion of the RMS. Brazil associated itself with this statement, Switzerland shared the concerns but not the form, while the Russian Federation also shared the concerns and appreciated the way Japan continued to work through the IWC.

Japan pointed out that Norway was exercising its sovereign rights, which it wished it could do but it had been coerced into withdrawing its objection to the moratorium decision.

The Russian Federation raised the problems which had been encountered during the meeting with rules of debate and procedural matters. It asked the Secretary to make a compilation of interpretation for use in the Commission. This was agreed.

At the conclusion of the meeting Japan paid its respects to all the scientists, delegates and Secretariat who had worked so long and hard through the meeting. The agenda contained a number of subjects of critical importance for Japan with much press coverage, and it regretted the continuing anti-whaling attitude of the majority of member governments.