Whaling summit ends with UN role blocked
Whaling summit ends with UN role blocked
Updated at 10:04 pm on 7 July 2012
The annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission has ended in Panama without moving to involve the United Nations in protecting the endangered mammals.
Conservationists argue the involvement of the UN General Assembly is needed to ensure all whales and related species, such as dolphins, are looked after. But several countries, including Japan, Iceland and Norway, opposed the motion.
The delegates' final act was to decide to hold meetings every two years.
Meanwhile, the Danish and Greenland governments will "reflect" on whaling options for Greenland's Inuit after the IWC denied a bid to raise quotas.
The options include setting quotas unilaterally without the IWC's explicit approval, or even withdrawing from the body. Either would be intensely controversial.
More:
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/world/110120/whaling-summit-ends-with-un-role-blocked