Koror, Palau –The United States Government, in partnership with the Palau Chamber of Commerce, today held a training to help businesses in Palau to better prepare for future natural disasters and pandemics. The training is part of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Ready project, which is strengthening climate change and disaster resilience of Pacific Island countries.
Twenty participants from Palau’s business community attended the one-day training which built awareness on the importance of business continuity planning in the face of frequent natural disasters and the current COVID-19 pandemic.
“While we can never prevent these things from happening, we should be able to prepare to make sure that we can manage the negative impacts and bounce back faster from these disasters and pandemics,” said Ambassador John Hennessey-Niland in his remarks. “This activity represents the U.S. government’s strong commitment to support Palau in its development journey and build a more resilient and sustainable Pacific region.”
Businesses that participated include: Palau Conservation Society, Palau Central Hotel, WCTC Shopping Centre, L’Amarena Gelato Shop, TRB Architects, Sam’s Tours, West Plaza Hotel Lebuu, The Dudek’s Nest, Smile Air Inc., VIP Companies, Belau Medical Clinic, Small Business Development Centre, Royal Resort Palau, Moylan’s Insurance, Biota Inc., EmeralDreams Services, National Development Bank of Palau, Micronesian Appraisal, Deloitte &Touche and Yokohama Restaurant. Participants learned about measures to not only help businesses better prepare for such disasters, but also better position themselves to effectively contribute to recovery efforts.
USAID Ready works with 11 target countries – Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu – to achieve their climate change adaptation goals by assisting them to develop policies and legislation, access climate finance and build capacity to manage adaptation.