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Africa has strengthened its voice in global ocean governance following the election of Benin’s Commissioner, Dr Urbain T.A.S. Brito, as Chair of the International Whaling Commission (IWC), at its 70th Biennial Meeting in Hobart, Australia.
Brito’s election by acclamation, with Ms Anne-Marie Svoboda of the European Union/Netherlands as Vice-Chair, marks a significant development for African participation in international marine resource management.
The meeting, held from September 27 to October 2, 2026, brought together representatives of 65 countries, including five member states of the Ministerial Conference on Fisheries Cooperation among African States Bordering the Atlantic Ocean (ATLAFCO): Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Morocco, Mauritania and Senegal.
The session, which coincided with the IWC’s 80th anniversary, recorded important developments, including the adoption by consensus of the Hobart Declaration, the commission’s first collective statement on its role, history and future.
Participants also adopted a Code of Conduct to guide the work of the commission and its subsidiary bodies, while establishing an ad hoc working group to explore legal solutions to the recurring controversy over quorum interpretation during IWC sessions.
The meeting further highlighted divisions among member states over the management and sustainable use of whale resources, with several draft resolutions put to a vote in the absence of consensus.
A longstanding proposal to establish a whale sanctuary in the South Atlantic, first introduced in 1998, was again rejected, according to ATLAFCO’s account of the proceedings.
On marine conservation, delegates considered proposals addressing the global trade in whale swim bladders, the bycatch of threatened cetaceans and ship strikes involving whales and other marine mammals.
The ship-strike resolution acknowledged efforts by governments, the IWC, shipping operators, non-governmental organisations and civil society to reduce collisions between vessels and marine mammals.
It also encouraged the adoption of scientific guidelines for assessing collision risks and improving data collection and sharing.
A resolution on cetacean strandings was adopted by consensus, recognising the scientific value of stranded whales and other cetaceans in ecosystem monitoring and the collection of biological and health information.
Two draft resolutions—one concerning targeted catches of small cetaceans associated with commercial fishing and another relating to a whale-stock conservation and management programme—were withdrawn by their sponsors.
Member states also approved a three per cent increase in the commission’s budget for 2027–2028, following a vote that reflected disagreements between countries advocating a 4.5 per cent annual increase and those favouring a freeze.
ATLAFCO described Brito’s election as a demonstration of Africa’s growing strategic importance in international fisheries and ocean governance.
The organisation also reaffirmed its support for the sustainable use of living marine resources, arguing that responsible resource management can contribute to food security, employment, social stability and the livelihoods of coastal communities.
It stressed the importance of basing decisions on credible scientific evidence while promoting international cooperation on the conservation and management of marine resources.
The development aligns with the objectives of the Abidjan Declaration, adopted in April 2025 at ATLAFCO’s 11th Conference of Ministers, which underscored the organisation’s commitment to strengthening its role in international fisheries management.
With Brito assuming leadership of the IWC for the next two years, expectations will be high for the commission to navigate persistent disagreements, strengthen scientific cooperation and address emerging challenges in whale conservation and the sustainable management of marine resources.
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