Koror, Palau - The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Pacific Office in Fiji has supported a further national consultation in Palau to help shape the country’s Coordinated Border Management Strategy.  

This work is supported by the Government of Japan, and UNDP’s Integrated Border Management (IBM) Project. Through this project, Palau along with Fiji and Vanuatu, is receiving assistance to enhance its abilities, resources and systems for facilitating the smooth and efficient movement of people and goods.  

UNDP supported an initial national consultation in February of this year, that identified and refined action points from an institutional assessment and commenced discussion on how Palau’s Coordinated Border Management Strategy should be developed.  

This subsequent two-day consultation will allow for a whole-of-government approach regarding the provision of final inputs on the draft strategy, ensuring the alignment of this document with the broader strategic objectives of the Government of Palau.

With a reliance on tourism as a key economic pilar, Palau closed its borders in early 2020. Prior to the COVID-19 tourism was a key source of income for the country’s economy. In 2015, a record number of 162,000 tourists visited Palau. By 2022, that number dropped to just over 10,000.

The Government of Palau continues to place significant importance on ensuring the effectiveness and efficiency of border management. This priority extends beyond enhancing security, as it also strives to foster an enabling environment for tourists to return to the North Pacific nation.

Chargé d'affaires with the Embassy of Japan in the Republic of Palau, Mayu Hagiwara, attended the consultation and highlighted her government’s commitment to the region regarding safety and security.    
 
“The Pacific plays a pivotal role in global economic activity, emphasizing the crucial importance of ensuring the safe and secure transportation of people and goods for all Pacific Island nations. Palau, renowned for its magnificent natural environment, vibrant traditional culture, flourishing tourism sector, and longstanding historical connections with Japan, offers a promising backdrop for fostering stronger ties between our two nations and I eagerly anticipate enhancing the partnership between our countries through this project,” she said.   

Vice President of the Republic of Palau, J. Uduch Sengebau Senior, said that information exchange and the digitization of systems and processes remain a priority for the Government of Palau, as outlined in the draft strategy.

 “Collaborating and exchanging information among agencies for border management in Palau has been highly advantageous. There is still work to be done to fully transition processes online and we thank both the Government of Japan and UNDP for supporting Palau in our border management activities,” she said.