The Symposium on the State of the Conservation of Whales in the 21st Century, which convened from 12-13 April 2007, at UN Headquarters in New York, US, analyzed options for the conservation of whales, specifically exploring policies for resolving the current impasse over commercial whaling in the International Whaling Commission (IWC).

The symposium, which was organized by the Varda Group on behalf of the Pew Charitable Trusts, focused on: the state of the world’s whale stocks: implications for policy makers; whether the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling is outdated; why it has been so difficult to find an acceptable solution in whaling policy; and the way(s) forward. The 65 invited participants included people from within the IWC community as well as those with wider expertise in conservation, law and other relevant fields. Their recommendations will be presented during a side event at the upcoming IWC meeting scheduled to take place in Anchorage, Alaska, US, in May 2007.
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