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IN THE CORRIDORS

Some NGOs at the Conference have expressed their intention to surface the long submerged issue of whaling, specifically participation in the International Whaling Commission (IWC) and the Japanese efforts to lift the ban on commercial whaling. Some SIDS have apparently agreed to join the IWC and have demonstrated their intention to vote against extending the moratorium and, consequently, have been accused by some of having sold out to Japanese interests in exchange for increased ODA and other forms of assistance. The International Wildlife Coalition has called for a boycott of the tourism industries of four "designated" SIDS in the Caribbean. While most NGOs present at this Conference have rejected this boycott, they have been lobbying the new entrants to the IWC to maintain the moratorium and to support the establishment of a whale sanctuary in the southern ocean surrounding Antarctica. The IWC will meet at the end of May.