In a show of regional solidarity, Pacific health ministers have formally endorsed the Healthy Islands vision 2050, a bold and inclusive roadmap that builds on the groundbreaking blueprint charted 30 years ago to transform health and well-being across the Pacific.
In 1995, gathering on Yanuca Island, Fiji, Pacific health ministers had a vision for the future during the very first Pacific Health Ministers Meeting. This laid the foundation for health promotion and protection over the past three decades. Today’s special one-day meeting followed the 76th session of the WHO Regional Committee for the Western Pacific in the Fijian city of Nadi.
Owing to improved neonatal care and enhanced midwifery workforce and education, the Pacific has almost halved the deaths of children under 5 from 70 to 37 in every 1000 babies between 1990 and 2023 (excluding Australia and New Zealand).[1]
Multiple initiatives are ongoing to strengthen climate resilience through reinforcing health facilities and working with communities on adapting to a changing climate. While boosting emergency preparedness and response capacity has seen classification of 12 emergency medical teams across the Pacific.
But challenges remain against a backdrop of shifting health priorities. The renewed vision takes into account present-day realities and was shaped through extensive consultation to ensure it remains rooted in Pacific values, resilience and community empowerment.
“This new vision not only honours the foresight and wisdom of our predecessors, but also promises a healthier and more equitable future,” said Dr. Saia Ma’u Piukala, WHO Regional Director for the Western Pacific who himself hails from the Kingdom of Tonga. “Healthy Islands 2050 is critical to build resilient, inclusive, and culturally grounded health systems across the Pacific that seek to leave no one behind.”
Pacific health ministers committed to embedding the Healthy Islands vision into national development plans, donor frameworks, and cross-sectoral strategies – ensuring health is central to climate action, education, and economic resilience.
Key pillars of the Healthy Islands vision 2050 include:
- Holistic development for children and youth
- Dignified work and ageing for all
- Safe and climate-resilient environments
- Ecological balance and environmental protection
- Resilience to health threats and emergencies
- Inclusive, digitally connected health systems
“None of this can be achieved alone. The strength of the Healthy Islands vision lies in its spirit of solidarity. It reminds us that while our islands may be small in landmass, together our united voice is loud and mighty like the sea. It reminds us that our greatest resource is not only the ocean or the land but our people, our cultures, and our collective will,” said Honourable Dr Ratu Atonio Rabici Lalabalavu, Minister of Health and Medical Services of Fiji.
The vision aligns with the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent under the umbrella of the Pacific Islands Forum. It also complements WHO’s Regional vision, Weaving Health for Families, Communities and Societies in the Western Pacific Region (2025−2029) for its 38 Member States, including the Pacific island countries and areas.
“Healthy Islands 2050 is not just about health – it’s a holistic approach and call to action for sustainable development with health at its core. WHO looks forward to continuing its support in the Pacific through our 8 offices scattered across the Blue Pacific Continent,” said Dr Mark Jacobs, WHO Representative to the South Pacific and Director of Pacific Technical Support.
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[1] United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation. Levels & trends in child mortality. Report 2024. New York: United Nations Children’s Fund; 2025 (https://data.unicef.org/resources/levels-and-trends-in-child-mortality-2024/, accessed 26 April 2025)
Note to editors:
For more information about the Healthy Islands vision visit: https://www.who.int/westernpacific/about/how-we-work/pacific-support/healthy-islands
About WHO
Dedicated to the well-being of all people and guided by science, the World Health Organization is the United Nations agency that leads and champions global efforts to give everyone, everywhere an equal chance to live a healthy life.
WHO provides support across the Pacific through its offices in Fiji, Kiribati, Federated States of Micronesia, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu. For more information about WHO in the Pacific, visit https://www.who.int/westernpacific/about/how-we-work/pacific-support