Since the WCA was founded seven years ago, our headquarters have been based in the UK, at the WCA Secretariat. This has worked well during our early years of growth but we have always had a desire to decentralise our work and make sure that the WCA’s resources and skills are represented with equality across the regions of the world. We are thrilled to say that we have now come to a point in the organisation’s growth where the achievements and ambitions of the partnership have enabled us to take that next step towards decentralisation.

To achieve this, the WCA will set up Regional Headquarters hosted by WCA partner organisations (Regional Coordinators) in each of the WCA regions with WCA partners. 

One partner from each region will be identified to assist the growth of the WCA by appointing a staff member able to take on the Regional Coordinator role. Regional Coordinators will take on a varied role including being the support and point of contact for WCA partners in their region, coordinate regional strategy development, help manage the WCA certification programmes.

With the help of Regional Coordinators we will be able to amplify the partners voices across the partnership and be more effective in our collective efforts to protect whales and dolphins worldwide.

In return, the WCA will ensure a range of benefits for those taking on the role including, when possible, providing funds for the Regional Coordinator to carry out the work of the WCA, in a role that supports the WCA partners across that region.

“This is a really fantastic move that will take us back to the roots and the reasons that we formed the WCA in the first place. We’ve taken seven years of a fairly centralised approach and now we have the strength to direct the organisation where it should be – putting the partners at the front and centre of everything that we do and ensure that the partners have equality in the decision making process no matter where you are in the world.“

Dylan Walker, WCA CEO

The WCA is currently run by the International Secretariat based in the UK. As we decentralise, the UK office will become the European Headquarters of the WCA. This office will be hosted by the Brighton Dolphin Project (a project of the WCA which will be gaining independence as a registered non-profit organisation and WCA partner). In time, we expect to share responsibility for running the WCA across the regional offices equally. This is our first step towards that goal.