The Minister for Justice, Siromi Turaga, is confident that his upcoming trip to Bangkok, Thailand, will enhance their understanding and help find solutions to the challenges surrounding birth and death registration in Fiji. The ministry has set an ambitious goal of achieving 100 percent birth registration by 2026.
Mr. Turaga emphasized that Fiji is leading compared to other Pacific Island nations. Currently, Fiji boasts an 80 percent birth registration rate, but there is still a significant portion of the population that needs to be engaged to close the gap.
He noted, “This means that 20 percent of the population in Fiji is unaccounted for.” During recent visits to areas in Vanua Levu, the teams identified a common issue related to non-registration of births among newborns and children. Although awareness is growing, it is still insufficient to cover the entire target population.
Additionally, Mr. Turaga highlighted the need for increased budgetary support in the next financial year to further advance the birth registration efforts. Samuela Ligairi, the special administrator for Labasa Town Council, mentioned that advisory councilors and village leaders will assist the ministry in identifying individuals within communities and villages who have not registered their births.