By Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of ESCAP The future of the global energy landscape will be shaped by Asia and the Pacific. Over the past two decades, our region has been the principal driver of global energy demand and emissions. Energy has powered prosperity, lifted millions out of poverty and […]
Category: Features
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From “In-Depends” to Independence:
A Prayer We Still Repeat Dear Editor, “On the 8th day of the first special session of the Sixth Congress of the Senate of the Congress of Micronesia in June 1975, the late John de Avila Mangefel offered a biting parody of the Lord’s Prayer. He rewrote the sacred words not toward heaven, but toward […]
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Who controls the Situation defines the situation
There is a simple but profound truth in power: who controls the situation defines the situation. If you don’t name the game, then you are just playing someone else’s rules. In Palau today, and across much of Oceania, we are caught in a quiet storm, a storm of stories, of holidays, of religious rituals, of […]
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Reclaiming Education
A Century Later, Palau Must Lead Its Own Learning Dear Editor, In the 21st century, the most powerful institution shaping our lives in Palau remains the one we inherited not created: the education system. Imported, imposed, and repurposed by four successive colonial powers, this system was never designed to cultivate leaders for Palau, but rather, […]
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Paradox of Our Time
A Mirror for Palau’s Future Dear Editor, In recent days, I’ve been listening to many familiar complaints echo across our community, “Palau is not like other places,” “People here don’t follow time,” or “These problems weren’t started by us; it’s their fault.” While these frustrations are real, I find myself reflecting on a deeper truth […]
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Cost of Living Crisis in Palau
When Reality Pushes People to Escape Dear Editor, Palau is in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis that our leaders refuse to address with any seriousness. The reality is simple: the scale of our economy does not allow ordinary people to make ends meet. Wages remain stagnant, essentials are taxed, and the government operates as […]