From Priorities to Practice: Palau and WHO Strengthen Health Programme Delivery

^{WHO Programme Management Officer Edenor Gongora facilitates an interactive session on how effective prioritization and planning can help translate health priorities into action during the 4P Workshop in Palau. Credit: WHO/W Shahid}

KOROR, PALAU: Strong health policies and elaborate plans only improve lives when they are translated into action. From financing and procurement to partnerships and programme delivery, turning priorities into results requires coordinated effort across government and partners.

These practical questions brought together Palau’s Ministry of Health and Human Services (MHHS) and the World Health Organization (WHO) for a two-and-a-half-day workshop in Koror from 3–5 August 2026.

Built around four themes, Prioritization, Planning, Practice and Partnerships (4P), the workshop provided an opportunity for MHHS and WHO teams to work through the programme cycle together, using Palau’s current health priorities and activities as the basis for discussion.

A shared commitment to health results

Opening the workshop, Vice President Raynold B. Oilouch, JD, who also serves as Minister of Health and Human Services, emphasized the importance of coordinated action as Palau responds to evolving health needs.

A changing way of working together

The workshop takes place at a pivotal moment in WHO’s engagement with the North Pacific, following the transition from a WHO Country Liaison Office to a WHO Multi-Country Office (MCO) serving the Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands and the Republic of Palau.

The transition provides new opportunities for WHO and governments to work more closely throughout the programme cycle, from planning and prioritization to implementation and monitoring.

^{WHO Representative Dr Roderico H. Ofrin outlines the workshop objectives and the importance of joint planning, implementation and monitoring. Credit: WHO/W Shahid}

“The establishment of the WHO Multi-Country Office is not simply an administrative change. It is an opportunity to work differently and more effectively with our Member States,” said Dr Ofrin. “The strongest programmes are those that are planned together, implemented together and monitored together.”

The workshop began with Palau’s own health priorities, planning processes and budget cycle before looking at how these align with WHO’s Fourteenth General Programme of Work (GPW 14), the WHO Country Cooperation Strategy and regional health frameworks.

From priorities to practice

A fundamental focus of the workshop was moving from planning to implementation.

Participants worked together to prioritize activities for the remainder of the biennium and consider how they could best be delivered. Using current health programmes as examples, MHHS and WHO teams explored financing, procurement and other implementation approaches, while identifying potential challenges and clarifying roles and responsibilities.

The practical exercises brought technical, programme and operational teams together, helping participants align their goals with the actions and resources needed to achieve them.

For Sherilynn Madraisau, Director of Public Health, this shared approach is important for effective programme delivery.

“Strong health programmes require more than technical expertise. They require collaboration, communication and accountability,” she said. “By bringing programme managers, technical teams and operational staff together, we are creating a clearer pathway from planning to implementation.”

^{WHO Operations Officer Ella Robson and WPRO Finance Assistant Rosina Roque facilitate a group exercise, guiding participants in identifying practical actions and implementation approaches to advance Palau’s health priorities. Credit: WHO/W Shahid}

Building partnerships around Palau’s priorities

Recognizing that some health priorities require resources beyond existing budgets, the workshop also explored partnerships and resource mobilization.

Participants considered the donor and development partner landscape in the Pacific and discussed how strong programme design, evidence and clearly defined results can help attract support for Palau’s health priorities.

The discussions reinforced the importance of starting with national needs and then identifying the right partners and resources to support them, rather than shaping priorities around available funding.

Putting the 4Ps into action

By the end of the workshop, MHHS and WHO had brought together the four elements of Prioritization, Planning, Practice and Partnerships, identifying priority activities and practical next steps for the remainder of the biennium.

The focus now shifts from the workshop to implementation, with regular communication, early attention to challenges and continued monitoring to keep programmes on track.

^{Participants from Palau’s Ministry of Health and Human Services and the World Health Organization gather during the 4P Workshop in Koror, Palau, to strengthen collaboration on health prioritization, planning, implementation and partnerships. Credit: WHO/W Shahid}