SYMPOSIUM ON THE STATE OF THE CONSERVATION OF WHALES IN THE 21ST CENTURY – APRIL 2007, NEW YORK

 

To:  Colleagues involved in whale conservation policy

From:  Rémi Parmentier, The Varda Group

J. Charles Fox, The Pew Charitable Trusts

whales@vardagroup.org

15th January 2007

 

Dear Colleagues and Friends:

 

We are writing to you on behalf of the Pew Charitable Trusts, to inform you that we have written to participants of the meeting of like-minded IWC Commissioners due to take place this week, to inform them that we are planning to organise a Symposium on the State of the Conservation of Whales in the 21st Century in New York in April (exact dates to be confirmed shortly). This symposium is the outcome of extensive informal consultations with a wide range of stakeholders concerned with whale conservation and the state of the oceans more generally. 

 

The two-day event is intended to help States move beyond the existing impasse within the IWC, and address key issues which the IWC is apparently unable to resolve.  It is a pro-active approach in response to Japan’s ‘normalization process’, to help frame key issues prior to the IWC annual meeting in Anchorage.

 

We are pleased to announce that Sir Geoffrey Palmer of New Zealand has agreed to chair the symposium. We are currently finalising the agenda, presenters, participants, exact dates and venue of the event.  Participation will be by invitation only.

 

The symposium will seek to avoid debates of the past and strive to introduce new information and fresh solutions.  To this end, we are inviting people not only from within the margins of the IWC, but also others with wider expertise in conservation, law, and other relevant fields. 

 

The two-day symposium will be composed of four panels to address the following questions:

 

  1. The state of whale stocks and of the whaling controversy: why is this issue important in light of the many pressing international and environmental issues? 
  2. Is the 1946 ICRW outdated and/or a defective treaty, or are there ways to make it work? 
  3. Diplomacy of whaling: what is the cause of the existing deadlock, and is there still room to manoeuvre?
  4. The way forward


Reporting of the discussions will be done by a professional online reporting service.  We also intend to hold a workshop in Anchorage, to discuss the findings and recommendations with interested parties and individuals.

 

The Pew Charitable Trusts has asked the Varda Group to serve as the secretariat of the symposium. Please feel free to contact us for further details at whales@vardagroup.org (you can also reach us at +34 91 329 10 49, +34 637 557 357 and +31 20 662 67 95). We will send you additional information as soon as it is available.

Rémi Parmentier,
The Varda Group,
www.vardagroup.org
J. Charles Fox,
The Pew Charitable Trusts;
www.pewtrusts.org