People

PEOPLE –

We are committed to enhancing the well-being
of our Palauan people by creating opportunities
for every person to achieve a good and satisfying quality of life. We are dedicated to focusing on
continuous improvements in health care, education, wages, and public services that allow our
Palauan people to live with respect and dignity. We are dedicated to strengthening our Palauan
families and communities by providing support and services to deal with growing social problems
such as alcohol abuse, illicit drug use, crime, domestic violence, and juvenile delinquency.

On Jobs, Wages and Benefits – OUR PLAN consists of:

Pursuing Increased and Uniform Minimum

            Wage to make sure that workers earn a
            living wage that allows them to raise their
            families and pay for basic needs;

Expanding Retirement Benefits and options

for both the public and private sectors to
ensure a secure retirement;

Licensing of Vocational Trades to encourage

local participation in trade skills that
are needed in order to build our Island Nation;

Strengthen local worker job placement, training, and employee rights; and
Providing incentives that make Palauan labor more competitive and that generate

funding for on-the-job training and education.

On Health Care – OUR PLAN consists of:

Focusing available resources on Preventive

            Health Care to promote healthy living
            that leads to reduced health care costs and
            higher quality of life;

Pursuing the construction of new National

            Hospital and ‘Wellness’ Center in Babeldaob
            including opportunities in Medical Tourism that
            encourages improved diagnostic and treatment
            services on-island;

Increasing funding support for capacity building of Palau’s medical professionals; and
Advocating the passage and implementation of a comprehensive National Health

Care Financing Plan that includes medical insurance coverage to ensure that every
Palauan family has access to affordable and quality health care.

On Education and Human Resource Development – OUR PLAN consists of:

Working with Educators to develop programs that provide for better manpower

training opportunities and better compensation aimed at strengthening capacity of
our education professionals;

Developing standardized evaluation for students to measure the quality of our

children’s education;

Improve information systems to track student performance to help alert school of

students who may need additional help and intervention.

Implementing advanced placement programs to better prepare our students to take

advantage of higher education opportunities;

Enhancing Afterschool Programs that provide tutorial, counseling and enhanced

learning skills to help students reach their full potential;

Strengthening and encouraging parental and community involvement to promote

increased educational achievements;

Working with the Ministry of Education and the Palau Community College to strengthen

and develop programs that advance life-skills and education in Palauan language,
culture and history.

Working with the Scholarship Board to increase scholarship funding and to review

priorities for scholarships that will meet the needs of Palau’s future labor force;

Working with the Ministry of Education and the Palau Community College to

expanding the capacity of our tertiary education;

Focusing on and strengthening trade and vocational courses at the secondary and

tertiary level; and

Prioritizing available resources toward Primary School Programs in Palau to provide

a solid foundation for learning.

On Public Safety – OUR PLAN consists of:

Increasing and strengthening law enforcement presence in all states of the Republic

to ensure timely and adequate response;

Establishing an ongoing training program for law enforcement to strengthen and

enhance administrative and investigative skills;

Strengthening enforcement and increasing penalties in order to eliminate illicit drug

traffic and other serious crimes; Reviewing and strengthening programs that address
social problems including domestic violence, juvenile delinquency and drug abuse;

Strengthening law enforcement capabilities at our borders to combat communicable

diseases, illegal drugs, invasive species and smuggling; and

Expanding correctional facility capacity and improving rehabilitative programs in

Palau.

For the Youth – OUR PLAN consists of:

Developing child care programs to provide support to parents working or attending

school full time;

Expanding our state and national recreational and sports facilities and programs in

each state;

Supporting the passage of a comprehensive Sexual Abuse Act and Family Violence Act;
Strengthen reporting requirements for educators and health care professionals of

suspected signs of child abuse & neglect;

Initiating a special hotline for citizens who want to remain anonymous to report

incidents of child abuse & neglect;

Initiating a suicide hotline with trained professionals to provide intervention and referral

services;

Providing training for teachers and counselors to recognize signs of depression,

suicide contemplation, for early intervention;

Developing an effective referral system with a counseling support component;
Strengthening public education efforts to inform our youth of their rights and about the

services and enforcement that are available to help them;

Providing adequate resources for victim advocates for support services for treatment

and assistance of both cases of child abuse and attempted suicide cases;

Improving and expanding our rehabilitation programs for juveniles, to include

family/clan strategies;

Strengthening cooperative learning opportunities and volunteer experiences for youth;
Working with the regional and international organizations as well as countries to

promote exchange programs;

Creating diverse incentive programs for our youth emphasizing scholastic achievement

and awards;

Expanding anti-drug and substance abuse programs at the state and national level;
Conducting Annual Youth Forums to encourage youth participation in addressing

issues and providing solutions;

Expanding career counseling and job opportunities including raising awareness of

military service options and benefits; and

Establishing a system of coordination between government agencies and private

sector to identify placement opportunities for our skilled and educated youth

For Senior Citizens – OUR PLAN consists of:

Advocating increased social security retirement benefits and periodic reviews to

address cost of living increases;

Strengthening programs and facilities for senior citizens;
Working with traditional and state leaders on an on-going basis, to insure the

incorporation of traditional values into both our leadership structures and our planning
processes;

Include participation of senior citizens in school programs for mentoring and enhancing

cultural awareness; and

Encourage employment of senior citizens in all sectors of economy.