Sir Ratu Epeli Nailatikau, Honourable Speaker of Parliament (Fiji)
Honourable Minister for Health, Dr Ifereimi Waqainabete (Dr Wanga)
Honourable Attorney-General and Minister for Economy, Civil Service, Communications and Climate Change, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum (Fiji)
Honourable Professor Keizo Takemi
Honourable Members of Parliament
Esteemed experts
Bula and good morning!
On behalf of the Secretariat, it my great pleasure to welcome you to the fifth meeting of the Forum, and the first in the Pacific. It is wonderful to be here.
I would like to extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to the Fiji Parliament, the Ministry of Health and Medical Services, and members of the Technical Working Group for their support for the Forum.
Let me also acknowledge parliamentarians from the Philippines who hosted last year’s meeting in Manila, as well as the Republic of Korea who led the establishment of the Forum in 2015 – and continues to provide strong support.
And of course, Professor Takemi for his leadership. Thank you, and congratulations on your re-election, Sir.
I am particularly happy to see this Forum in Fuji. I took the post of Regional Director of WHO’s Western Pacific Region early this year, and in doing so, I committed to build on the legacy of my predecessor, Dr. Shin.This Forum is one such legacy: we are convinced that engaging with parliamentarians committed to global health is a critically important activity for WHO.
Last year’s meeting is a great example of how the work of the Forum connects directly with the priorities of the countries represented in it. The theme of Forum is decided based on the interests of the hosting parliamentarians. Last year’s theme was advancing universal health coverage. Just a few months after the meeting, the Philippines congress adopted a landmark law on universal health care.
Now, on the occasion of this Fifth Meeting, we look forward to working with the Parliament of Fiji, the various ministries represented here, and all of you, in addressing the health impacts of climate change.
Parliamentarians from the Pacific can speak better than me but whenever I visit the Pacific, I can see climate change is not a scientific argument: it is a real threat to the people. This is a complex issue, requiring action beyond the health sector alone – but with significant benefits for health if we get it right. But I worry that our time is running out to take action – both on the health threats we already see from climate change today, and for future generations.
I really look forward to our discussions on this issue over the next few days. We are so fortunate to meeting on this topic under Fiji’s leadership – Fiji has, of course, been instrumental in bringing the voice of the Pacific to the global debate on climate change through its Presidency of the UN Climate Change Conference.
Before I close l would share one more reason that I am so happy to see this Forum in Fiji.It is about the former Speaker of the Fiji Parliament, Jiko Luveni – who was the driving force behind bringing the Forum to Fiji this year. Speaker Jiko was recognised earlier this year at the World Health Assembly as a global health hero. I know she was also a hero to many people here today. Let’s do our best to honour her memory, by ensuring this week’s meeting is a great success.
Thank you very much.