Problem overview:

     International Commitments: The increase in number of environmental conventions and other legal instruments has created difficulties for capacity-constrained for many developing countries and, in particular, the small island countries of the Pacific (PICs), to negotiate effectively and follow-up with ratification and implementation of the treaty commitments.

     Framework for coordination: The Government of Palau established the Office of Environmental Response and Coordination (OERC) as a multi-convention focal point to coordinate the activities related to the negotiation and follow-up of the Conferences of the Parties of the major MEAs.

Background:

     The transition of Palau in 1994 from a trust territory of the United States to an independent republic had a significant effect on the legal status of the Conventions to which Palau was a Party. As a trust territory of the United States, Palau was legally bound to all the Conventions and legal instruments to which the US was a contracting Party. Under the independence arrangements of 1994, Palau was given five years to review the legal instruments and notify the Secretariats of its intent to become a Party. The review did not take place and, as a consequence, Palau's was no longer a Party to a number of multilateral environmental instruments. As a result, the process to sign and ratify or, as the case may be, accede, is particularly demanding for a small island country with limited human and financial capacity.

     Establishment and Mandate of the Office of Environmental Response and Coordination (OERC): The Republic of Palau established the OERC to facilitate coordination of negotiations and follow-up of MEAs for the major atmospheric conventions. The OERC's mandate was subsequently broadened to cover the biological diversity conventions and other MEAs. The OERC acts as Palau's focal point to the Climate Change and Biological Diversity Conventions.

     Negotiation Preparation, Reporting and Information Dissemination: Other OERC functions include ensuring that delegates to the respective MEA negotiations are sufficiently prepared, and that following the conferences, information is disseminated quickly to the concerned departments or agencies. The OERC maintains a list of technically competent officials in the various government departments and agencies, and this list is normally used to select Palau's representative(s) to a particular conference. The representative must also sign a conference participation form, which obligates the official to assume responsibility for post conference reporting.

     MEAs to which Palau is a Party:

• Convention for the Protection of the Natural Resources and Environment of the South Pacific (ratified 1994)
  
  
• United Nations Third Convention on the Law of the Sea (ratified 1996)
  
  
• Waigani Convention on Hazardous and Radioactive Waste (ratified 1996)
  
  
• Convention on Biological Diversity (ratified 1998)
  
  
• Kyoto Protocol (ratified 1999)
  
  
• Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer (ratified 2001)
  
  

     Palau is also a signatory to the following instruments:

• United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (signed 1999)
  
  
• Nauru Convention on South Pacific Fisheries (signed 1995)
  
  
• Cartagena Protocol on Biological Safety (2001)