The Minister for Justice, Siromi Turaga, is confident that his upcoming visit to Bangkok, Thailand, next year will enhance their understanding and help find solutions to the challenges surrounding birth and death registration in Fiji.
The ministry has set a goal to achieve complete birth registration by the year 2026. According to Mr. Turaga, Fiji currently leads other Pacific Island countries in this regard, with an 80 percent birth registration rate. However, he noted that the remaining 20 percent of the population still lacks registration, which is a focus for his efforts.
“Our teams have visited several areas in Vanua Levu and identified the common issue of unregistered births among newborns and children. Although there has been a slight increase in awareness, it has yet to reach all target demographics,” Mr. Turaga stated.
He emphasized the need for additional budgetary support in the next financial year to sustain the birth registration process. Samuela Ligairi, the special administrator of Labasa Town Council, also encouraged advisory councillors and village leaders to collaborate with the ministry to identify individuals in their communities who have not been registered at birth.