Justice Minister John Gibbons and Ministry of State’s Foreign Service Officer Marvin Ngirutang represented Palau in the conference.
The conference was held at the Westin Nusa Dua, Bali in Indonesia from April 14 to 15.The conference was attended by 41 members countries including Palau, 19 observant countries and 13 international organizations.The conference has a goal of reinvigorating regional cooperation on people smuggling and trafficking in persons by reviewing past activities of the Bali process act.The statement from the Ministry of State stated that, the Bali process remains the only regional group addressing the challenges of people smuggling and trafficking in persons in comprehensive and cooperative manner among countries of origin, transit and destination.The process since its inception in 2002, has provided a valuable framework for regional cooperation to prevent and deter illegal people movements.The statement added that since the last ministerial conference in 2003, there have been several changes to the circumstances driving people smuggling and trafficking in persons activities in the region.It added that there has been a significant change in the region in terms protected refugee situations.It also said that the impact of global financial crisis is likely to encourage more people to seek economic opportunities outside their own national borders. It against this backdrop that the third regional ministerial conference took place.
