A 67-year-old man from Lakeba has received his birth certificate for the first time after travelling to Suva, a development Assistant Minister for Justice Ratu Josaia Niudamu said on the floor of Parliament that underlines the government’s push to strengthen Fiji’s civil registration system.
Niudamu told MPs that Mr Isiki Temo, who had lived his entire life without an official birth record, recently visited the Births, Deaths and Marriages (BDM) Registry office in Suva to complete his registration. The Assistant Minister said the milestone immediately removes barriers that had prevented Temo from accessing state support. “With his new birth certificate, he is now able to access essential services, including registering for social welfare assistance,” Niudamu said.
The case was raised as part of Niudamu’s update to Parliament on improvements being made to the BDM Registry. He said the registry has been stepping up efforts to strengthen Fiji’s civil registration and vital statistics system and is coordinating with partner agencies to ensure more Fijians are correctly registered and recognised from birth.
Officials say securing a birth certificate can be a decisive factor for older citizens who, through circumstance or geography, missed early registration — particularly those from outlying islands such as Lakeba. While Niudamu’s remarks did not outline specific new programs or timelines, he presented Temo’s registration as evidence that the registry’s ongoing work is delivering tangible results for individuals who have long been excluded from formal documentation.
The BDM Registry’s outreach and inter-agency coordination aim to reduce gaps in registration that affect access to education, health services and social welfare. Niudamu emphasised that bringing unregistered citizens into the system is not merely administrative: it has direct social and economic consequences, enabling people like Temo to claim benefits and services they were previously unable to obtain.
The Assistant Minister’s account in Parliament is the latest public illustration of the government’s stated priority to improve civil registration across Fiji. The BDM Registry will continue to work with other ministries and partners to identify unregistered individuals and support them through the application process, Niudamu said, framing Temo’s case as part of a broader effort to ensure every Fijian is formally recognised from birth.
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