The Minister for Justice, Siromi Turaga, is confident that his upcoming trip to Bangkok, Thailand, next year will enhance their understanding and help develop solutions for the birth and death registration challenges facing Fiji. The ministry’s goal is to achieve 100 percent birth registration by 2026.
“Fiji is leading compared to other Pacific Island nations,” Mr. Turaga remarked. Currently, Fiji has achieved 80 percent birth registration, but the minister is focused on addressing the remaining population that is not registered.
“This means that 20 percent of the population in Fiji is unaccounted for,” he stated. Mr. Turaga noted that visits made by their teams to various areas in Vanua Levu revealed a persistent issue with non-registration of births among newborns and children. He mentioned that while awareness has slightly increased, it has not yet reached the entire targeted population.
He also highlighted the need for additional budgetary support in the next financial year to further the birth registration initiative. Samuela Ligairi, special administrator of Labasa Town Council, indicated that advisory councillors and village leaders will assist the ministry in identifying individuals who have not registered their births within communities and villages.