President Remengesau Addresses the 1st Global Green Island Summit in Jeju, Korea
For Immediate Release
Serial No. PR-18-145
August 29, 2018
Office of the President
President Remengesau Addresses the 1st Global Green Island Summit
On August 28th, President Tommy E. Remengesau, Jr. shared the Republic of Palau’s efforts against climate change and our national progress on developing a sustainable future during his keynote address at the first Global Green Island Summit (GGIS) in Jeju, Korea.
“As islands we have something in common. Our geographical location, our size, our population and our vulnerability to external shocks”, remarked President Remengesau. Even more so, islands share common goals on sustainable tourism, including our collective fight against climate change and our efforts to protect and conserve our oceans and seas, he further stated.
Sharing sustainable models and best practices, President Remengesau talked about Palau’s national renewable energy priority of 45% by year 2025 and the partnership launched with EarthX and GridMarket to scale up the Republic’s energy section in a holistic nationwide approach. Palau’s initiatives on environment conservation and sustainable tourism, including the Micronesian Challenge, the Shark Sanctuary, the ban on deep sea bottom trolling, the Palau Marine National Marine Sanctuary and the national government’s Zero Tolerance on Plastics Policy were also highlighted.
The GGIS, an initiative enacted at the 2016 World Conservation Congress by Hawaii Governor David Y. Ige, Governor Won Hee-ryong of Jeju Special Self-Governing Province and the late Onaga Takeshi, Governor of Okinawa Prefecture Province of Japan, was established to provide a platform for island regions with common goals to share environmental visions and seek optimal solutions for sustainable development through mutual cooperation on issues of great importance, such as clean energy and island resilience.
Experts from Blue Planet Foundation, Korea University, the University of Ryukyus, Asia Climate Change Education Center, the Hawaii Office of Environmental Quality Control, and Seoul National University among others presented sessions on topics covering climate change and the sustainable development of island regions.
Leaders who attended the Summit included Jeju Governor Won Hee-ryong, Hawaii Lt. Governor Doug Chin, and Okinawa Vice Governor Kiichiroh Jahana. President Remengesau was accompanied by Ambassador Ngedikes Olai Uludong and Deputy Chief of Staff Rebluud Kesolei.
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