Santiago de Chile, September 13, 2024 – Civil society organizations from 16 countries, representing millions of individuals worldwide, urgently appealed to Minister of Foreign Affairs Alberto Van Klaveren in a letter requesting that Chile promptly settle its debt with the International Whaling Commission (IWC).

This marks the second such action after a similar letter was submitted on August 27 by the Cetacean Conservation Center, Centro Ecoceanos, and the Latin American Observatory of Environmental Conflicts (OLCA). To date, there has been no response from the relevant authorities, and the debt remains unsettled.

In the letter, the organizations express concern that continued inaction could result in, for the first time in its history, Chile losing its right to fully participate in the critical Plenary Assembly scheduled for September 22-27 in Lima, Peru.

Elsa Cabrera, director of the Cetacean Conservation Center, stated, “Exclusion from this important forum would represent a significant setback for Chile’s commitment to marine conservation and would set a troubling precedent for the future protection of our oceans. Over the past two decades, Chile has played a vital role within the IWC, championing initiatives essential to the preservation of whales and their ecosystems. We fail to comprehend why the debt has not been settled less than 10 days before the plenary assembly in Peru.”

Lucio Cuenca, director of OLCA, remarked, “It appears that the failure to pay the debt to the IWC is not merely an oversight but a political decision. In light of the announced turquoise policy, citizens are demanding tangible actions for whale protection. It’s time to pay the quota.”

Juan Carlos Cárdenas, director of Centro Ecoceanos, added, “The Chilean government’s troubling and inexplicable stance on this issue during the upcoming session of the International Whaling Commission serves as an encouragement for Japan’s ‘harpoon diplomacy’ to persist in its attempts to revive destructive commercial whaling operations in the Pacific, Southern Oceans, and Antarctic waters.”

The signatory organizations, which include representatives from 16 countries across the Americas, Europe, and Oceania, along with global international organizations, implore the Chilean government to act swiftly to resolve this debt and restore its voice and leadership role within the IWC.

Please read the letter delivered to the Chilean Minister of Foriegn Affairs HERE.