Membership and Contracting Governments

Membership of the IWC is open to any country in the world that formally adheres to the 1946 Convention. Each member country is represented by a Commissioner, who is assisted by experts and advisers.

The Chair and Vice-Chair are elected from among the Commissioners and usually serve for three years. 

The USA acts as the depository nation for the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling (See Article X of the Convention).  This means that any nation wishing to adhere to the Convention, and thus become a member of the IWC, is required to notify the State Department of the USA.  The USA provides a Status of the Convention document which records the dates that Contracting Governments have adhered and withdrawn from the Convention.

The following table shows all IWC member countries and their current Commissioner.  Where the IWC has been so notified, a link is provided to the member countries own webpage dedicated to their representation to the IWC.  Please note the IWC's disclaimer on external links.

Further to the requirements set out in the Commission’s Rule of Procedure A.2 (Representation) individual contact information for Commissioners can be downloaded here.