PCOC Supports "Made in Palau"

The Palau Chamber of Commerce is a non-profit organization that advocates for and promotes the entire Private Sector of the Republic of Palau, from grassroots micro, small and medium businesses all the way to the few big companies operating in the country.

The main goals of the Palau Chamber of Commerce as stated by the Organization’s

President Irene Olkeriil are: (1) to create jobs, and (2) to grow the economy of Palau.

PCOC Board of Directors and Membership strive to provide business-related knowledge, information and expertise to the Belau community; such knowledge is shared through organized trainings and workshops.

Palau Chamber of Commerce is currently working as the Business Development Services Provider (BDSP) in collaboration with the Palau national consultants for International Labour Organization (ILO), Ms. Carol Ngiraidis and Ms. Ltelatk Fritz, on the Informal Economies Recovery Project to help Palau’s numerous creative-preneurs, who are the producers of the Culture and Creative Industry of the Republic of Palau, to come alive again and to become an official part of the business community with their unique, cultural products and services. It is time for our “klechibelau” and “klebelau” principles and values to be totally recognized and supported again like they used to be, through proper advocacy for local producers, and the promotion of their beautiful products and services.

As PCOC President, Irene Olkeriil, shares with everyone these days: “With the socio-economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the blessing of time is for Palauans to reflect on what to be grateful for and to look inside our own small island country; to embrace God’s blessings for all in Palau. So, the new mantra of the Palau Chamber of Commerce that inspires, supports and provides for a collective mindset that is in line with sustainable development and quality tourism going forward is that of all ‘Made in Palau’ products and services.”

PCOC’s role in the Recovery Project is to deliver a series of workshops that provide business-related knowledge and skills that are prompt, practical and useful for the beneficiaries – who are the most important part of the Culture and Creative Industry, yes, the ones who are the uniquely talented Citizens of the Republic of Palau. Palau Chamber of Commerce advocates for these creative-preneurs and are working to help them to start their own small businesses right here in Palau.

The workshop-style training opportunities provided specifically for the Cultural and

Creative Industry include talents in the areas of Weaving, Pottery, Arts, Fashion, Music, all promoting “klechibelau” and “klebelau”. As stated in the ILO article published on August 31, 2021 (available at this link) , “This initiative is supported by the International Labour Organization (ILO) through the UN’s Joint Informal Economies Recovery Project. The ILO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), are jointly working with national partners, with the aim of supporting COVID-19 recovery through sustainable creative enterprises.”

As of Wednesday, September 29, 2021, the Palau Chamber of Commerce has already provided five (5) workshops that covered many areas of business, including but not limited to: How to Write a Business Plan, Digital Literacy & Google Activity, Marketing Strategies & Digital Marketing, Bookkeeping and Recordkeeping Basics, Legal Compliance for Small Businesses and Financial Literacy. The workshop-style trainings were facilitated and taught by Palau’s very own local consultants: Lisa Abraham-Rengechel, Fabian Iyar and Ltelatk Fritz of Palau Small Business Development Center (SBDC).

In the next weeks, more workshops will be provided that cover Time Management Skills and Research Tips, Customer Service Skills, Networking Skills and interpersonal skills, Intellectual Property (IP) and Business Continuity Planning that also addresses disaster resilience.