Fiji urges stronger, coordinated climate-health action as Global Conference opens
Fiji’s Minister for Health and Medical Services, Dr Ratu Atonio Lalabalavu, representing the Pacific at the 2025 Global Conference on Climate and Health, has called for urgent, coordinated implementation of the Belém Health Action Plan to protect vulnerable populations as climate change intensifies across Western Asia and the Pacific.
Dr Lalabalavu stressed that the Belém Plan must align with existing global commitments — including the WHO Global Action Plan and the COP28 Declaration — to avoid overlapping frameworks that could dilute effectiveness. He urged an inclusive, transparent consultation process so Member States can meaningfully contribute to the plan’s development and called for cross-sector collaboration to embed health into policies from urban planning to agriculture.
Priority areas and Pacific experience
The minister highlighted several priorities: strengthening early warning systems by integrating meteorological and health data, prioritising vector-borne and neglected tropical diseases, scaling digital health innovations, and investing in sustainable health infrastructure for underserved communities. Fiji’s experience in integrating climate and weather information into disease surveillance for climate-sensitive diseases such as dengue and leptospirosis was presented as a model that Western Asia and others could adapt.
Equity, traditional knowledge and labour considerations
Dr Lalabalavu insisted that commitments to equity in the Belém Plan must be concrete — gender-responsive policies, inclusion of Indigenous Peoples, marginalised groups and persons with disabilities, and attention to the needs of migrant workers in Western Asia. He also urged the plan to recognise and leverage traditional knowledge systems in the Pacific as part of resilient, locally rooted responses.
Financing, implementation and regional cooperation
Fiji called for the Belém Plan to be integrated into Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and national health plans to help mobilise climate finance and ensure sustained national implementation. The minister underlined regional cooperation through mechanisms such as the Alliance for Transformative Action on Climate and Health (ATACH), asking that the network support three critical roles: implementation support, aligned monitoring, and regional advocacy to ensure Pacific voices are heard and no country is left behind.
WHO and partner support in the Pacific
Dr Lalabalavu outlined ongoing WHO support through its Asia-Pacific Centre for Environment and Health and the Division of Pacific Technical Support. Recent initiatives include infrastructure upgrades at health facilities, WASH improvements with UNICEF support, and the installation of solar systems in nearly 38 healthcare facilities. Training efforts are underway for more than 1,500 healthcare workers, with partnerships involving KOICA, Cure Kids and others. Fiji also welcomes WHO’s ACE Financing and Investment Tool (ACE-FIT) which is helping countries like Kiribati and Cambodia identify and secure climate finance for health.
Global advocacy
Fiji is contributing evidence and advocacy on the world stage through the Lancet Commission on Sea-Level Rise, Health and Justice, aiming to amplify Pacific perspectives ahead of upcoming international forums including COP31 and COP33. The minister also flagged the Inaugural Western Pacific Action Forum on Climate-Resilient and Sustainable Health Systems, due to convene in Singapore this September, as an important venue for advancing regional action.
Additional comments and logical context
– Aligning the Belém Health Action Plan with WHO and COP frameworks reduces duplication, clarifies responsibilities and makes it easier to link health priorities to climate finance mechanisms — especially when plans are embedded in NDCs and national health strategies.
– Interoperable early warning systems that combine meteorological and health data allow timely response to outbreaks and climate-linked hazards; Fiji’s integrated approach offers practical lessons for other small island states and regions facing similar threats.
– Prioritising basic, sustainable infrastructure (solar power, resilient water and sanitation) and workforce training delivers immediate benefits for service continuity during extreme events while also supporting longer-term climate resilience.
– Ensuring meaningful, gender- and disability-inclusive consultation will improve the relevance and uptake of the Belém Plan and help ensure that financing and implementation reach the most vulnerable.
Brief summary
At the 2025 Global Conference on Climate and Health, Fiji’s health minister urged urgent action to make the Belém Health Action Plan an inclusive, non-duplicative, and well-funded mechanism that aligns with WHO and COP commitments, embeds health into national climate pledges, and leverages Pacific experience — from integrated early warning systems to sustainable facility upgrades — to protect vulnerable communities.
Hopeful outlook
Fiji’s approach — combining practical investments (solar, WASH, workforce training), regional cooperation, and global advocacy — provides a replicable model. With stronger alignment, inclusive consultations, and targeted financing, the Pacific can lead in demonstrating how climate action directly improves health outcomes and can catalyse broader climate ambition.
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