Trump Administration Awards $844,131 in Grants to Support the Republic of Palau

WASHINGTON – The Trump Administration announced $844,131 in fiscal year 2020 grant funding provided through the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Office of Insular Affairs’ (OIA) Technical Assistance Program (TAP) to support the Republic of Palau. Of the total announced, $190,000 will be provided to a Palau non-profit organization, Protected Areas Network Fund, to engage stakeholders in strategic planning for protection and development of Palau’s marine and terrestrial protected areas.

“The Secretary and I are pleased to provide this TAP grant support to the people of Palau, which will fund a 2020 census and update environmental regulations in Palau,” said Interior Assistant Secretary, Insular and International Affairs, Douglas W. Domenech. “Palau is a leader in protecting their natural resources through initiatives such as the Palau Pledge and the Palau National Marine Sanctuary that went into effect this year. We are pleased that these funds can be used to help implement strategic planning for the promotion and protection of Palau’s natural resources and protected areas.”

U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Palau John Hennessey-Niland noted that Palau’s pristine paradise will greatly benefit from the assistance provided through the 2020 Technical Assistance Program with its focus on supporting planning and resources that will be vital to preserving Palau’s unique marine environment.

The fiscal year 2020 Technical Assistance Program grant funding will be provided to support the Republic of Palau for the following projects as detailed below:

• Republic of Palau Bureau of Budget and Planning - $483,531 will be used to conduct the 2020 Palau Census of Population, Housing and Agriculture. This 2020 census will provide updated and current demographic, housing, and agricultural production statistics necessary to inform economic development planning in Palau. The census will also list and plot all households in Palau, which is critical given population shifts to Babeldaob Island resulting from the relocation of Palau’s national capitol and completion of the Compact Road around the island.
• Palau Environmental Quality and Protection Board (EQPB) Authority - $170,600 will be used to review, revise, and modernize three outdated environmental regulations and to establish an EQPB information technology program, which will help ensure enhanced compliance and enforcement capabilities for environmental protection. The new IT system will include a GIS system, databases for tracking permits and applications, and a dedicated website to the regulations. The goal is to develop a contemporary environmental regulatory framework with efficient permitting and create a business environment that will attract and retain private-and commercial-sector investments that are consistent with Palau’s socio-economic and environmental visions.
• Protected Areas Network Fund (PAN Fund) a non-profit organization - $190,000 will be used to help implement the Palau National Responsible Tourism Policy Framework, which establishes guidelines for tourism development in Palau while also ensuring the protection of natural resources for the well-being of the Palauan people. The Palau government established both the Palau Protected Areas Network (PAN), a countrywide system of connected protected areas in both terrestrial and marine environments, as well as the independent non-profit organization called the Palau Protected Areas Network Fund (PAN Fund) to serve as a financial trustee of the monies obtained from various sources to support the PAN. The PAN Fund will provide a 100% match of the OIA grant towards this work of strategic planning for protected areas.

The OIA Technical Assistance Program is made available each year by Congress to support priorities in the U.S. territories and the freely associated states. For more information on grant assistance provided through OIA, please visit: https://www.doi.gov/oia/financial-assistance.

The Assistant Secretary, Insular and International Affairs, @ASIIADomenech, and the Office of Insular Affairs (OIA) carry out the Secretary of the Interior’s responsibilities for the U.S. territories of American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Additionally, OIA administers and oversees federal assistance under the Compacts of Free Association to the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau. Follow and “like” OIA on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/InsularAffairs.

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