During his official visit to France, Surangel S. Whipps Jr., President of the Republic of Palau, was welcomed at the Institut de France before meeting Jacques Rougerie aboard his houseboat to discuss the future of island territories and the solutions needed to address climate change and rising sea levels.
The meeting concluded with the signing of a partnership agreement between the Jacques Rougerie Foundation – Académie des beaux-arts and the Republic of Palau. Following the agreement established with the government of Tuvalu, this new cooperation further strengthens the Foundation’s international commitment to island nations directly affected by sea-level rise.
On this occasion, the Foundation presented the work carried out through its International Junior Ambassadors network and the projects developed as part of its International Architecture and Innovation Competition. For more than fifteen years, young architects, engineers, urban planners, designers, and researchers from five continents have imagined thousands of solutions to help adapt territories, preserve local cultures, and design new living environments capable of responding to climate change and coastal submersion.
This momentum is now being reinforced through the creation of a dedicated Island Worlds Task Force within the Junior Ambassadors Program. Bringing together young international experts, this initiative aims to combine scientific knowledge, territorial realities, and vernacular cultures to support the reflections and projects carried out with partner governments.
This meeting follows the first World Small Island Developing States (SIDS) Day, co-organized by the Foundation and the Palau Delegation to UNESCO. The event showcased projects dedicated to the future of island territories and reaffirmed that these communities can continue to thrive on their ancestral lands through the dialogue between architecture, art, science, and innovation.
The Foundation extends its warmest thanks to Surangel S. Whipps Jr. for his trust and commitment, as well as to Sania Elkadi, Ambassador of Palau to UNESCO, whose dedication made both this meeting and this partnership possible.