Emais Roberts

Emais Roberts is a Palauan politician and physician who has served as Governor of Peleliu since 2022. He previously served as the country's Minister of Health from 2017 to 2021 and led the response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Palau.

Early life and career Roberts received his Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Hawaiʻi. His surgical residency took place at the University of Hawaiʻi and University of California, Davis. He served as Chief Resident Surgeon at Queen's Medical Center, Kuakini Medical Center and Kaiser Medical Center in Hawaii. On 6 June 2017, Roberts visited Taipei in which he said he would continue to support Taiwan's bid to attend the World Health Assembly. In July 2019, Roberts gave a speech at the first Climate and Health Ministers' Meeting in Abu Dhabi in which he highlighted the effects of climate change on human health especially the effects on Small Island Developing States such as Palau.

Beginning in January 2021, he administered the country's COVID-19 vaccination program, with Roberts and president-elect Surangel Whipps Jr. being two of the first to receive the dose of the vaccine in the country. In April 2021, a travel bubble was set up between Palau and Taiwan though by May 2021 Roberts stated that the travel bubble had become a "mute issue" due to new travel restrictions introduced between the countries as a result of Taiwan's rising COVID-19 cases. He was succeeded as health minister by Gaafar Ucherbelau.

In May 2021, Roberts stated in an interview with the Island Times that he was running as a candidate for Governor of Peleliu in the December 2021 election; incumbent governor Temmy Shmull was no longer eligible, having reached the term limit. He stated that he had agreed to run after being petitioned by the village chiefs and the people of Peleliu. He won the election and was sworn in as governor on 1 January 2022.

On 15 September 2022, Roberts commemorated the state's inaugural veterans day by re-opening the Bloody Nose Ridge Monument access trail and acknowledging the United States Marines for their work on projects in the state such as repairing the monument.