Koror, Palau – The Republic of Palau tackled its unique migration challenges head-on with a three-day Migration Management Course held from May 7-9, 2024 at the Palau Royal Resort. Organized by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) bringing in key stakeholders from the Coordinated Border Management Working Group (CBMWG) as well as other partner agencies from NEMO, MHRCTD, and MOS, the course aimed to address critical issues surrounding migration governance and policy development.
Palau faces distinct migration dynamics due to its geography, economic status, climate change vulnerabilities, and the Compact of Free Association (COFA) with the United States. Despite the potential benefits migration could bring to Palau’s development, the absence of national policies has delayed effective management of migration trends and outcomes.
In response, the “Building Bridges” project, initiated in 2023, aimed to develop a comprehensive national migration policy for Palau. This endeavor seeks to integrate findings form the International Organization for Migration’s (IOM) Governance Indicators exercise and prioritize gender considerations. The resulting policy will align with Palau’s broader development strategies, including the National Policy and the Palau Development Plan.
The recent capacity-building training, drawing upon IOM’s “Essential of Migration Management” program, equipped CBMWG members and stakeholders with tools to actively engage in policy formulation. Facilitated by IOM experts, participants gained insights into key migration issues such as labor migration, climate change adaptation, and diaspora engagement.
The workshop’s objectives included fostering a distinct understanding of migration’s dual nature as both a challenge and an opportunity, and empowering stakeholders to contribute effectively to policy development and implementation. Participants left the training prepared to collaborate across government agencies, civil society, and international organizations to advance Palau’s migration governance agenda.
With a holistic and participatory approach emphasizing shared expertise and collective learning, the course ensured that the participants were actively engaged and primed to drive positive change in Palau’s migration landscape.