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.
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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USA provides a Status of the Convention document which records the dates that Contracting Governments have adhered and withdrawn from the Convention.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 | Ambassador H.F. Martinsen | 08/12/20 |
| 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 | Prof. N. Thuok | 14/09/09 |
| 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 |
15/06/22 |
| Gabon | 08/05/02 | Prof. L. White | 14/09/14 |
| The Gambia | 17/05/05 |
Ambassador A. Nyangado |
01/09/23 |
| 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. Dasgupta | 01/06/20 |
| 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-W Heo | 29/06/23 |
| 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 |
