Palau President Surangel S. Whipps Jr. will participate in a summit on Pacific investment, security and shared prosperity this week at the East-West Center in Honolulu.
The summit is co-hosted by U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau and Commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command Adm. Samuel Paparo.
Participants will explore investment opportunities in the region across key sectors, including infrastructure, critical minerals, and supply chains; the digital economy, artificial intelligence, and telecommunications; energy security; tourism; agriculture and food security; health systems; and banking and financial services.
Whipps is scheduled to join a panel on economic priorities and investment pathways along with officials from Tonga, the Cook Islands and Papua New Guinea.
Whipps said Palau is moving from a narrow, visitor-dependent economy to one that is more diversified, resilient, and rooted in high-value, low-impact sectors such as sustainable tourism, renewable energy and the digital economy.
“The summit is an opportunity for Palau and our Pacific family to deepen our partnership with the United States and American businesses around a simple idea: the right kind of investment can strengthen our security, our economies, and our way of life at the same time,” Whipps said in a news release.
He said throughout the summit and at the Pacific Islands Forum in Palau later this year, island leaders will look for investments “that safeguard our ocean, lift our people, promote renewable energy, and advance shared prosperity for generations to come.”
As incoming chair of the Pacific Islands Forum and host of the Leaders Meeting in August, Whipps will also highlight the region’s 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent and the Unlocking Blue Pacific Prosperity initiative, which aim to mobilize large-scale, flexible investment for effective ocean management, robust food systems, and sustainable livelihoods across the Pacific.
“We welcome partners who share our commitment to transparency, the rule of law, and high environmental and debt-sustainability standards,” Whipps said.