Your Royal Highness, Crown Prince Tupoutoʻa ʻUlukalala,
Deputy Prime Minister and Acting Prime Minister of Tonga, Honourable Samiu Kuita Vaipulu,
Honourable Chair, Dr Saia Ma’u Piukala,
The Pacific Community Deputy Director-General, Dr Paula Vivili,
Honourable Ministers,
Distinguished representatives and colleagues,
Ladies and gentlemen:
Good morning. It is so wonderful to be here with all of you in Nuku’alofa.
This is my first time in Tonga, and I have to say that it lives up to its reputation as the “friendly islands”.
On behalf of the Secretariat partners, WHO and the Pacific Community, I wish to express our deep appreciation to the Government of the Kingdom of Tonga for hosting this year’s Pacific Health Ministers Meeting. It is an honour to address this group, even more so in such a wonderful setting.
Seventy-five years ago, countries around the world came together to found the World Health Organization – so that everyone, everywhere could enjoy the highest attainable level of health and well-being.
Indeed, the world has changed a lot since 1948. But the visionary leadership and collective spirit of the Pacific remains to this day.
Since the first Pacific Health Ministers Meeting in 1995, this enduring spirit of leadership and solidarity has been on display. At their very first meeting, ministers produced the Yanuca Island Declaration, which created a unifying Healthy Islands vision for Pacific Island Countries and areas.
The Healthy Islands vision has since acted as a foundation for our efforts to protect and promote health and well-being in the Pacific. The vision is as relevant today as it was then – because it champions a holistic approach to health and careful stewardship of the environments in which people are nurtured, work and play.
Every Pacific Health Ministers Meeting is an opportunity to reflect on this vision and take stock of progress made since the last gathering. It is also an invaluable opportunity to share experiences and best practices, and to underscore issues that demand our collective action.
The four topics on the agenda this year are pressing health issues that must be addressed more effectively today to ensure a brighter future for the Pacific. They are:
Advancing health information and digital transformation in the health sector;
Strengthening health system resilience;
Rethinking human resources for health; and
Tackling the drivers of obesity, particularly among children and young people.
These topics are a mix of long-standing and emerging issues. They all require fresh thinking and approaches tailored to the contexts of Pacific Island Countries and areas.
The issue of human resources for health, for instance, has been a persistent concern in the Pacific. The topic was even discussed at the First Ministers Meeting on Yanuca Island nearly three decades ago.
Progress has been made, but challenges persist in the availability, accessibility and quality of the health workforce. Joint action from countries and areas, WHO and partners is necessary now to ensure a future in which every individual and community has access to good-quality care.
Meanwhile, the obesity epidemic continues to take a significant social and economic toll, with Pacific islands making up the top 10 countries globally with the highest prevalence of overweight among children and adolescents. To protect our children and young people from this rising tide of obesity and related noncommunicable diseases, we need to create and sustain more supportive environments through whole-of-government, whole-of-society action.
The Pacific is also among the world’s most vulnerable to crises, including infectious disease outbreaks and disasters. Shocks such as the COVID-19 pandemic and other health emergencies – as well as climate change and extreme weather events – are increasingly causing disruptions to health systems and services.
The lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic and other emergencies should not be forgotten. We must use them to drive health systems strengthening, and stand ready for the next event that may be just around the corner.
The pandemic also showcased the potential of digital solutions in health care. We must maintain this momentum by investing in sustainable health information systems and digital health advancements for the betterment of health and well-being in the Pacific.
Addressing these challenges and fully realizing the vision of Healthy Islands, will necessitate a collaborative, multisectoral effort.
WHO in the Western Pacific will continue to work closely with Member States and partners to address these challenges and in line with the Region’s For the Future vision.
For Pacific leaders in health, your role is pivotal. You hold the keys to unlock and advocate for fresh solutions. You hold the power to reach out beyond the health sector and lead the multisectoral action that will bring about health improvements in your countries and areas.
The road to realizing the Healthy Islands vision will have a lot of bumps, but we must face the challenges head-on, taking advantage of the world’s increased understanding of the importance of health and its pivotal role in functioning economies and societies. Let us work together to make the most of newfound opportunities and partnerships.
To our development partners in the room, thank you for being here. Your ongoing support is sincerely appreciated. In this meeting, let us keep in mind the importance of a couple concepts that should guide our discussions:
First, we should focus on providing support and resources where needed and based on country context.
Second, we must always ensure that Pacific Island countries and areas remain in the driver’s seat from the planning to detailed implementation stages.
And finally, we must always work collaboratively across the Pacific and beyond to ensure cohesive and fit-for-purpose support while utilizing regional platforms and coordination mechanisms.
Over the next three days, we have the opportunity to learn from each other's experiences and insights – a wealth of information we can draw upon to take forward the vision set forth in the Yanuca Island Declaration.
The 75-year history of WHO is a story that has been co-authored by you, our Member States, partners and communities. Now it is time to start drafting the story of the next 75 years and what we can achieve through science, solutions and solidarity.
On behalf of the Secretariat partners, WHO and the Pacific Community, we remain committed to working shoulder-to-shoulder with Member States to ensure a safer and healthier Pacific.
Thank you again to the Kingdom of Tonga for bringing us together for these important discussions. I look forward to our deliberations and continued work together.
Thank you.