| Faustina K. Rehuher-Marugg | |
| Term End2: | 2012 |
| Party: | Independent |
| Term Start2: | 2009 |
| Office2: | Minister of Community and Cultural Affairs of Palau |
| Predecessor: | Billy Kuartei |
| Successor: | Uduch Sengebau Senior |
| Term Start: | 13 June 2017 |
| Term End: | 21 January 2021 |
| Primeminister: | Thomas Remengesau Jr. |
| Office: | Minister of State |
| Alma Mater: | University of Hawaiʻi |
Faustina K. Rehuher-Marugg is a Palauan curator and politician who served as the State Minister of Palau from 2017 to 2021. She was Director of Belau National Museum from 1979 to 2009.
Rehuher-Marugg holds a master's degree in Pacific Island Studies from the University of Hawaiʻi and the East-West Center.[1] [2] She worked for as the Director and Curator of the Belau National Museum in Koror for thirty years between 1979 and 2009.[3] During her time as a curator, Rehuher-Marugg promoted Palauan culture to regional and international organisations including ICOMOS and UNESCO. In addition to this, Rehuher-Marugg served in leadership roles in many Pacific cultural organisations, including the Pacific Islands Museums Association, the Pacific Regional Branch of the International Council on Archives, as a co-founder of the Palau Conservation Society, the Palau Resources Institute, and the Palau Chamber of Commerce.[4]
In 2009, Rehuher-Marugg resigned from the Belau National Museum after being nominated to serve as the Minister of Community and Cultural Affairs by President Johnson Toriblong; she was subsequently appointed to the role by a unanimous vote by the Senate of Palau. During her term, Rehuher-Marugg was successful in getting the Rock Islands Southern Lagoon recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.[5] [6] Rehuher-Marugg left the role in 2012. That same year, Rehuher-Marugg was recognised for her contributions to the promotion and development of the arts, culture and history of Palau by the Legislature of Guam.
In June 2017, Rehuher-Marugg was elected to serve as the State Minister in the Cabinet of Thomas Remengesau Jr, replacing Billy Kuartei.[7] Remengesau commended her "wealth of experience in public service [and] the preservation of Palau's heritage and history". She was sworn into office by Judge Rosemary Skebong.[8]
In 2018, Rehuher-Marugg was instrumental in securing a $60,000 grant from the Australian government to support Palau's eco-pledge initiative where all visitors promise to respect the environment.[9] The same year, she represented Palau at the Pacific Islands Forum, held in Nauru, where climate crisis was the focus of the agenda.[10] In 2019, she led a delegation from Taiwan, including President Tsai Ing-wen.[11] In 2021 she negotiated a grant aid programme with Japan to the value of $4.8 million in order to enable the government of Palau to detect illegal shipping.[12]