Japan’s Assistance via UNDP for Enhancing Disaster and Climate Resilience Project in Palau: the First Handover Ceremony Took Place
2020/4/20
Japan funded 7.5 million US dollars for Enhancing Disaster and Climate Resilience (EDCR) Project in Palau via the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), collaborating with the Government of Palau, to improve the country’s resilience to human-made and natural disasters and climate change impact.
The first official handover took place at the National Emergency Management Office (NEMO) on April 16. The ceremony, attended by several high-profile dignitaries, including Honorable Raynold Oilouch, Vice President and Minister of Justice of Palau, and His Excellency KARASAWA Akira, Ambassador of Japan, as well as national key counterparts and members of the media.
The first official handover took place at the National Emergency Management Office (NEMO) on April 16. The ceremony, attended by several high-profile dignitaries, including Honorable Raynold Oilouch, Vice President and Minister of Justice of Palau, and His Excellency KARASAWA Akira, Ambassador of Japan, as well as national key counterparts and members of the media.
The handover was the first of several handovers to come. It included 5 mobile storage units, which will be placed at NEMO and in Kayangel, Peleliu and Angaur, 2 HF radio portable manpacks and 1 generator. The storage units will be used to safeguard important rescue equipment. Their portable design makes the rescue equipment easy to be transported when required. The HF radio portable manpacks, which can be transported and operated in a backpack device, will be used for communication with remote regions when a disaster strikes. The generator will be used at NEMO to sustain electricity during power outages.
In the ceremony, Vice President Oilouch stated, “I cannot emphasize enough the importance of this project, especially during this challenging time. We all know that our ongoing fight with the COVID-19 Pandemic is a global concern. Disasters that pose immediate threat to the lives of our people are without borders. Fortunately for us, as demonstrated by the EDCR project, valuable partnerships are also without borders,” he further added.
Ambassador Karasawa said, “It is truly important for us to have enough capacity to prepare for any natural disasters that Palau may face in the future. The Government of Japan, hence, decided to contribute 7.5 million US dollars for this project in cooperation with UNDP to improve Palau’s resilience to natural disasters and climate variability.”
