US Ambassador to Palau Amy Hyatt (6th from left) and [President Tommy Remengesau, Jr. (7th from left) with other Palauan government officials and members of the United States Indo-Pacific Command. (Contributed Photo)
Members of the United States Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) visited Palau last week to conduct security assessment on the proposed venues and sites to be utilized for the country’s hosting of the Our Ocean Conference in 2020.
Five members of the INDOPACOM team, including a retired army, visited several sites such as Civic Center, Asahi Baseball Field, Old Olbiil Era Kelulau building, Ernguul Park, two Rock Island sites, and others during their three-day visit here from January 29 to 31.
After assessing the proposed venues for the conference, the team is expected to come up with a report and come up with recommendations that will help ensure safety of guests during the conference.
An actual security plan for the conference will be presented during the Mid-Joint Committee Meeting (JCM) to be held in Guam this year.
The Our Ocean Conference is a large gathering attended by various stakeholders from different parts of the globe to tackle issues surrounding the Oceans.
Indonesia hosted the conference last year in Bali from October 29 to 30 with a theme “Our Ocean, Our Legacy” while the Our Ocean Conference 2019 will also take place in Oslo, Norway on October 23-24 this year. (Rhealyn C. Pojas)