Canada-Palau relations
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Bilateral relations
Diplomatic relations between Canada and Palau were established on August 25, 1997. Bilateral relations are cordial and enhanced by a shared membership in several international organisations such as the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund and the World Health Organisation. Canada and Palau are both party to a number of agreements such as the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the United Nations Fish Stocks Agreement. Canada is also a Dialogue Partner of the Pacific Islands Forum to which Palau belongs.
In Palau, Canada is represented by the High Commission of Canada to Australia, in Canberra. Palau is represented in Canada by their embassy in Washington, D.C.
Trade relations
Canada's trade relations with Palau are managed by the Trade Commissioner Service at the High Commission of Canada to Australia, in Canberra. Canada has limited trade relations with Palau.
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Development
Canada supports small and community-focused projects in Palau through the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI). Canada has provided about $625,000 in funding for 14 projects since 2017. In 2023, the CFLI provided $25,000 to The Angel Centre to support youth development through school programs on healthy cooking and community gardening.
Palau has also been a beneficiary of the following projects in the Pacific Islands region:
The Kiwa Initiative (2020 to 2026) is a multi-donor Pan-Pacific regional initiative funded by Canada, France, the European Union, Australia and New Zealand. Since March 2020, Canada has contributed a total of $16 million to the Kiwa initiative through a Contribution Arrangement with the Agence française de développement (AFD). The Kiwa initiative strengthens capacities of local and national authorities and civil society organizations to design and implement small to large-scale biodiversity conservation and climate change adaptation projects at local, national and regional levels through granting/funding facilities.
The Pacific Catastrophe Risk Assessment and Financing Initiative (PCRAFI) (2018 to 2023) is a recently terminated project implemented by the World Bank, to which Canada contributed $1.5 million. The PCRAFI sought to provide the Pacific Island countries with disaster risk assessment and financing tools, including sovereign insurance, for enhanced disaster risk management and climate change adaptation.
The Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission’s (WCPFC) Special Requirements Fund has received contributions of $68,000 to $100,000 from Canada in recent years. It aims to support capacity-building among the members of the Commission such as Palau.
The Canadian Trade and Investment Facility for Development (CTIF) is a 7-year (2018-2025), $11.6 million, demand-driven technical assistance facility designed to contribute to improving the policy and regulatory environment for trade and investment in ODA-eligible countries in Asia-Pacific in support of poverty reduction and women’s empowerment.
Partnerships and organizations
To develop effective responses to today’s most pressing global challenges, Canada and Palau work closely in multilateral fora, such as:
- Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
- International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)
- International Monetary Fund (IMF)
- The High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy (The Ocean Panel)
- United Nations (UN)
- United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
- Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC)
- World Health Organization (WHO)
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