President Tommy Remengesau Jr. will be the keynote speaker in this year’s 18th Pacific Region Investment Conference (PRIC) in Manila, Philippines.
The PRIC is a gathering of fiduciaries from the Asia Pacific region run by the Asia Pacific Association for Fiduciary Studies (APAFS), a non-for-profit educational and charitable association which assist fiduciaries to grow and protect assets being managed.
According to the APAFS Secretariat, PRIC has a goal of raising the level of understanding and standards of practice among fiduciaries in the region.
Remengesau is set to deliver his keynote address on Nov. 29 and because this year’s theme focuses on the theme “Investing in our natural assets,” the Palau president was chosen for his leadership in protecting the environment.
“We will focus on the thought that our natural environments and natural assets drive our economies and support our livelihoods,” the Secretariat said in an email.
Tourism is Palau’s economic driver and Remengesau has always stressed on the policy, “environment is our economy and our environment is our economy.”
Under Remengesau’s leadership Palau has put in place several environmental policies that includes the Micronesia Challenge, Palau National Marine Sanctuary, Palau Pledge and banning sunscreens harmful to corals.
According to APAFS the President’s speech will be followed by a panel session that will tackle on the theme with representatives from the Asia Pacific environmental organizations such as The Nature Conservancy, Micronesia Conservation Trust, Palau Protected Areas Network Fund and Foundation for the Philippine Environment.
The two-day conference brings in around 300 delegates from various Asia Pacific Region countries, but not limited to, such as Palau, FSM, RMI, Kiribati, and CNMI. (Bernadette Carreon)