The Micronesia Challenge spans 5 jurisdictions, thousands of islands and more than 650,000 people speaking 12 different languages. Many key partners (listed above) collaborate on the Micronesia Challenge to support and implement a joint commitment across the region. Using the shared regional and cultural identity of being Micronesian has been a powerful way to create lasting partnerships among local and grassroots organizations to share lessons learned and feel a sense of common cause. Moreover, the reliable and firm commitment of the highest political leaders draws international partners to invest time and resources in building new relationships, because investors and partners know conservation has the full support of the political leadership.
Shared cultural heritage allows for a regional identity as Micronesian, which helps unite diverse stakeholders and jurisdictions. The Global Island Partnership (GLISPA), led by the President of Palau alongside the President of Seychelles and Prime Minister of Grenada, plays an important role of showcasing the Micronesia Challenge on the international stage. This helped maintain momentum in implementation of the MC as well as inspiring other leaders to make similar commitments such as the Caribbean Challenge Initiative and Aloha+ Challenge.
- It requires continuous work to maintain the MC partnerships and coordinate conservation action in the region. The broad support from local and high levels, the ambitious targets, and the sense of common cause in the region motivate the partners to work together, learn from each other, and strive to live up to the Micronesia Challenge.
- A strong network of partners inspires new and leverages existing regional opportunities to draw additional partners and funding to the region that go beyond the MC targets. Examples are the world’s first Regional Shark Sanctuary in Palau, the Micronesia Biosecurity Plan to address the risk of spread of invasive species, the Young Champions Internship Program, the German Lifeweb Support for community-based climate adaptation and resilience, the NOAA Partnership Agreements for coral reef conservation, and the RARE Pride Social Marketing Campaigns.