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Membership of the IWC is open to any country in the world.  Each member formally adheres to the 1946 International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling and  is represented by a Commissioner who is nominated by their government.  Commissioners may be assisted by other experts and advisers.

The Chair and Vice-chair are elected from among the Commissioners and usually serve for four years, the first two as Vice-chair and then a further two as Chair.   The holders of these roles lead both the Commission and the Bureau, and manage meetings of the Commission.
(The administrative and accounting officer of the Commission is the Executive Secretary.  See here for more information on the role of the Executive Secretary and the Secretariat). 

The current Chair is Amadou Teliivel Diallo of the Republic of Guinea and the Vice-chair is Dr Nick Gales of Australia.  Both were elected into office at the IWC Commission meeting in October 2022.

 
 

Interactive IWC Member Map

 
 

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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USA provides a Status of the Convention document which records the dates that Contracting Governments have adhered and withdrawn from the Convention. This may be obtained by contacting the IWC Secretariat.

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.

Individual contact information for Countries can be downloaded here.

Contracting Government Adherence Commissioner Appointment
Antigua & Barbuda 21/07/82 Ambassador D. Joseph 22/07/14
Argentina 18/05/60 Tbc  
Australia 10/11/48 Dr. N. Gales 14/06/16
Austria 20/05/94 Dr. A. Nouak 09/08/96
Belgium 15/07/04 Ms S Langerock 16/06/15
Belize 17/06/03 Ms. B. Wade 17/05/06
Benin 26/04/02 Dr. U. Brito 13/09/23
Brazil 04/01/74 Ambassador J.A. Andrade 15/03/23
Bulgaria 10/08/09

Ms. Y. Velina

17/03/21
Cambodia 01/06/06 Mr O. Vibol 18/10/23
Cameroon 14/06/05 Dr. G.I. Mimbang 21/10/19
Chile 06/07/79 Mr. J. Fernandez 28/06/13
People's Republic of China 24/09/80 Mr Liu Xinzhong, 10/03/21
Colombia 22/03/11 Ms. X. Rojas Giraldo 20/12/22
Republic of the Congo 29/05/08 Mr. B.C. Atsango 17/08/14
Costa Rica 24/07/81 Ms. H. Rodriquez 03/07/18
Côte d'Ivoire 08/07/04

Mr. A. Konan

14/09/22
Republic of Croatia 10/01/07 Ms I Partl 28/11/19
Cyprus 26/02/07 Mr L Vasiliades 10/02/21
Czech Republic 26/01/05 Mr J. Mach 15/12/15
Denmark 23/05/50 Mr L. Thostrup 15/08/22
Dominica 18/06/92 Mr. L. Pascal 10/07/01
Dominican Republic 30/07/09 Mr J.R. Reyes 21/10/22
Ecuador 10/05/07 Mr W. Schuldt 04/12/20
Eritrea 10/10/07 Mr. S. M. Ahmed 02/10/08
Estonia 07/01/09 Mr H. Zingel 19/02/15
Finland 23/02/83 Ms. P. Blankett 03/05/11
France 03/12/48 Mr. N.M. Alaoui 15/09/22
The Gambia 17/05/05 Mr. B. Sanyang 03/01/24
Gabon 08/05/02 Prof. L. White 14/09/14
Germany 02/07/82 Mr. B. Soentgerath 09/06/20
Republic of Ghana 17/07/09 Professor F. Nunoo 07/10/21
Grenada 07/04/93 Mr. A. Dabreo 10/09/18
Guinea-Bissau 29/05/07 Mr. I. Barros  03/02/15
Republic of Guinea 21/06/00 Mr. D.A. Telivel 12/02/14
Hungary 01/05/04 Tbc  
Iceland 10/10/02 Dr. J. Stefánsson 01/04/22
India 09/03/81 Mr. S.K. Awasthi 06/03/24
Ireland 02/01/85 Ms A. NÍ Bhriain 05/09/23
Israel 07/06/06 Ms R. Oberman 30/06/14
Italy 06/02/98 Mr. R. Rigillo 06/05/14
Kenya 02/12/81 Ms. B.M. Njagi 17/03/23
Kiribati 28/12/04 Dr A Yeeting 15/01/19
Republic of Korea 29/12/78 Mr. M-J Kim 14/03/24
Laos 22/05/07

Dr K. Phouthavong

08/08/23

Liberia

10/08/18

Ms. E.M. Glassco

10/08/18

Lithuania

25/11/08

Ms. L. Caplikaite

24/02/12

Luxembourg 10/06/05 Mr. C. Origer 10/06/05
Mali 17/08/04 Mr. M.M. Keita
06/11/20
Republic of the Marshall Islands 01/06/06 Hon. J.M. Silk 16/09/22
Mauritania 23/12/03 Dr. A.M. Jiddou 16/05/11
Mexico 30/06/49 Dr A.M. Jaramillo Legorreta 01/09/22
Monaco 15/03/82 Ms. F. Vidal 24/01/23
Mongolia 16/05/02 Mrs Sh. Tserendulam 12/05/22
Morocco 12/02/01 Mr A. Benmansour 13/04/22
Nauru 15/06/05 Hon. M. Dube 17/10/17
Netherlands 14/06/77

Ms A-M Svoboda

30/09/22
New Zealand 15/06/76 Ms. J. Henderson 05/08/19
Nicaragua 05/06/03 Mr. E. Jackson Abella 30/09/16
Norway 03/03/48 Mr. P. Meier 18/10/22
Oman 15/07/80 Dr. A. Al-Marzouqi 20/11/18
Republic of Palau 08/05/02 Hon R. Rechebei 24/06/21
Panama 12/06/01

Dr L. Trejos-Lasso

04/03/21
Peru 18/06/79 Minister C.G. Briceño Salazar 01/06/23
Poland 17/04/09 Mrs. M. Lesz 14/05/09
Portugal 14/05/02 Mr. L.A. de Andrade Freitas 30/07/15
Romania 09/04/08 Dr. D. Cioaca 28/01/19
Russian Federation 10/11/48 Ms. I.B. Fominykh 02/11/15
San Marino 16/04/02 Mr. D. Galassi 10/10/02
Sao Tome & Principe 17/05/18 Mr. I. Conceição 06/12/22
St Kitts and Nevis 24/06/92 Mr. T.M.X. Williams 03/02/20
St Lucia 29/06/81 Mr. H. Walters 25/08/16
St Vincent & The Grenadines 22/07/81 Sen. E. Snagg 05/03/03
Senegal 15/07/82

Mr. D. Faye

06/07/20
Slovak Republic 22/03/05 Mr. B. Hrabkovsky 22/10/15
Slovenia 20/09/06 Mr. A. Bibič 20/01/10
Solomon Islands 10/05/93 Ms R. Masu 08/06/20
South Africa 10/11/48 Dr. A. Naidoo 19/07/23
Spain 06/07/79

Mr. F. Magdaleno Mas

26/06/21
Suriname 15/07/04 Mr R Ramkisor 11/07/16
Sweden 15/06/79 Dr. J. Hagberg 22/09/23
Switzerland 29/05/80 Mr. B. Mainini 03/06/05
Tanzania 23/06/08 Mr H.G. Mbilinyi 12/01/18
Togo 15/06/05 Dr. A. Domtani 03/11/09
Tuvalu 30/06/04

Dr T. Falefou

30/03/21
UK 10/11/48 Mr. J. Smith 26/04/21
Uruguay 27/09/07

Ambassador M. Etchevarren

30/11/22
USA

10/11/48

Mr. R. Wulff (Acting)
09/09/14