Palau joined UNESCO on September 20, 1999. The country is covered by the UNESCO Office in Apia, Samoa.
Palau joined the Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme in 2005. Ngaremeduu, Palau’s first biosphere reserve, is located in the southwest Pacific and covers a wide bay and dense coastal mangrove swamps. Marine core areas protect economically important crab, fish and clam species. Three communities worked together to prepare the reserve’s candidacy to the MAB Programme.
Palau belongs to the Small Islands Voice (SIV) initiative whose goal is to allow island peoples to make their voices heard and to encourage youth to debate environmental issues.