The 2020 biennial Commission meeting of the IWC will be held at the Grand Bernardin Resort, Portoroz, Slovenia
The IWC is committed to robust and transparent financial management. This section of the website provides comprehensive information on the financial regulations, structures and procedures of the IWC, as well as the annual audited accounts.
The IWC’s core funding is from member government contributions. Voluntary contributions are also received from governments, non-governmental organisations and industry to support specific research, conservation, welfare and aboriginal subsistence whaling programmes.
Annual financial contributions are calculated for all IWC member governments. The size of contribution varies between governments depending on three factors:
Click to read more on how the financial contributions are calculated and see the amounts owed by each country for 2020 and 2021.
Core Funding is divided into three key areas: a General Fund, a Meeting Fund and a Scientific Committee Research Fund. (Other committees of the IWC do not receive a core budget and generally fund their work programmes with voluntary contributions).
In addition to core funding, the IWC receives voluntary contributions from a wide variety of organisations. Donations are usually made in support of a particular programme of work: some to formally established funds and some to assist with a particular workshop or piece of research.
Guidelines on Acceptance of Funds have been established to ensure funds are only accepted from appropriate sources, and will advance work that is consistent with IWC objectives. A Code of Ethical Fundraising was also endorsed by the Commission in 2018. A key focus of this new Code is support for developing countries
There are currently five formal voluntary funds:
In addition to contributions to these funds, work programmes recently receiving ad hoc donations include the Whale Entanglement Response Training Programme, euthanasia of stranded whales, and a review of IWC governance. These miscellaneous contributions are handled by an ‘Other Work’ Fund.
2019 Voluntary Contributions are as follows:
Voluntary Contribution Allocation by Fund |
£ |
Aboriginal Subsistence Whaling Fund |
£7,852 |
Other Work Fund |
£27,173 |
Voluntary Assistance Fund (for Governments of Limited Means) |
£8,209 |
Voluntary Conservation Fund |
£104,788 |
Research Fund |
£11,201 |
Southern Ocean Research Partnership |
£17,355 |
Total |
£176,578 |
The IWC Financial Year runs from 1st January to 31st December.
All financial processes operate according to the Financial Regulations and are managed by the Finance and Administration Committee, supported by its subsidiary body, the Budgetary Sub-committee. These two groups meet every two years before the Commission Plenary, to develop proposals for both the amount to be paid by member governments as core contributions, and the allocation of these core funds. The Commission Plenary must then either endorse these proposals or agree alternatives.
Any significant financial issues arising during the two-year intersessional period can be referred to the IWC Bureau, an administrative body comprising seven IWC members, including the Chair of the Finance and Administration Committee. The Bureau may offer advice or refer major issues, including any issues of policy, to the Commission as a whole for discussion or decision.
Strengthening IWC Financing
In 2010, the IWC created the Intersessional Correspondence Group on Strengthening IWC Financing to examine ways to integrate conservation funding into the overall budget. The group now takes a broader, strategic and long-term view of IWC’s financial environment and has introduced a number of improvements and initiatives including on financial transparency, governance and external collaboration.
Current Financial Climate
The Commission as a whole is currently working through the Bureau and the Finance and Administration Committee to develop long-term solutions to today’s budgetary challenges. The focus of this work is agreeing how best to reconcile the cost of an ever-expanding work programme with a budget that has been constrained by a difficult and unpredictable global financial climate, and limited increases in member contributions.
At IWC67, the Commissioners decided on a 28% reduction to the Research Fund in an effort to address a 2019/20 budget deficit. Member contributions were frozen. Long-term financial planning will continue in the next intersessional period.
The Commission’s Accounts are publicly available, and receive an annual audit by an independent auditor. Click here to read the latest (2019) accounts.
Click here to read the accounts for 2017 and 2018, and an explanatory commentary on the accounts as presented to the biennial meeting in 2018.