The task force is composed of representatives from the Environmental Quality Protection Board, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Natural Resources, Environment and Tourism, the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Industries and Commerce, the Ministry of State, the Senate, the House of Delegates, the Governors Association, Palau Community College, non-governmental organizations as well as the business, agricultural and transportation sectors.
The group met for the second time last week to elect its officers.Palau Community College vice president Thomas Taro was elected chairman while Division of Customs chief John Tarkong Jr. was named vice chairman.Environmental Quality Protection Board executive officer Portia Franz was appointed by the Ministry of State as the operational focal point.EQPB will serve as the secretariat.During the meeting, Franz presented reports from the recent International Chemicals Management Conference which she and Delegate Noah Kemesong attended in Geneva, Switzerland last May.Also discussed were the status of chemical inventory, chemical profiling and the drafting of national chemicals policy.Franz said the objective of the task force is to oversee or develop a framework for chemical management in Palau.“We have a two-year plan and our number one objective is to inform the public how to properly manage waste that has chemicals and potential of impacting the health of the people.She added, “We want to inform them of what potential chemicals they are exposed to in buying or using any products and how to use them or dispose them properly.”According to Franz, “Not many of us are aware of the potential harm that we can get by using, for example, electronics.”President Johnson Toribiong created the task force last April and the United Nations Environment Program awarded Palau a $250,000 grant to support the group’s goals.
