The International Waterbird Census (IWC) is a long term monitoring scheme for waterbirds in the non-breeding season. In the Western Palearctic and Southeast Asia the census has been organised by Wetlands International since 1967 and is conducted annually in mid-January. This report summarises the results of the counts of January 1997, 1998 and 1999 in the Western Palearctic and Southeast Asia, comprising counts in 47 countries.