WHO / Julia Richards
WHO Regional Director Dr Saia Ma'u Piukala gives opening remarks at the seventy-sixth session of the Regional Committee for the Western Pacific in Fiji.
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Opening remarks at the seventy-sixth session of the WHO Regional Committee for the Western Pacific

Dr Saia Ma'u Piukala, Regional Director, Nadi, Fiji

20 October 2025

Chairperson, Honourable Atonio Lalabalavu, our host this week;

Honourable Minister Vainetutai Rose Toki Brown of the Cook Islands, our outgoing Chair; 

Honourable ministers and representatives from Member States and partner agencies;  

Ladies and gentlemen,

Good morning and warm Pacific greetings. 

What a joy it is to be here in Nadi. It is a beautiful day, it’s sunny outside, where the sun greets us with warmth, the breeze carries the spirit of the ocean, and the sense of unity among us is truly uplifting. 

Welcome to the seventy-sixth session of the WHO Regional Committee for the Western Pacific

To all our ministers and delegates, thank you for being here.

And a heartfelt welcome to the Republic of Indonesia, joining us for the first time as the Region’s newest Member State. Minister Budi, we are honoured by your presence and excited to walk this journey together. Selamat datang

There is a proverb that should guide our work: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” This week we go together. 

This past year has been a testament to what we can achieve together. 

Later, I will present the Regional Director’s Report covering our work from the first of July 2024 to 30 June 2025. 

But first, allow me to share a few milestones that reflect the power of collective action. 

One month ago, 21 Pacific island countries and areas were verified for measles and rubella elimination as an epidemiological block. 

This is historic. It shows what solidarity, commitment and cooperation can achieve. 

Japan has also been verified for rubella elimination. But verification is not the finish line. 

The risk of outbreaks remains if we let our guard down. We must keep vaccination coverage high and surveillance strong. 

Fiji and Papua New Guinea have eliminated trachoma as a public health problem. These victories remind us that diseases of poverty and vulnerability can be defeated when evidence, commitment and community converge. 

In September of last year, the WHO Asia-Pacific Centre for Health and Environment in the Western Pacific Region – known as ACE – was reinvigorated under new leadership and stronger investment. 

At the recent UN General Assembly, despite challenges in reaching consensus on the global noncommunicable (NCD) agenda, Member States showed strong advocacy and commitment for tackling the leading causes of premature death. Of particular note was the focus on alcohol – a priority we are advancing boldly in the Western Pacific. 

This week, we will address climate and health, the International Health Regulations, alcohol control and oral health. Technical discussions on mental health, hypertension, tobacco control, artificial intelligence and safer surgery. 

These priorities reflect our shared commitment to health and well-being. 

We will also discuss the Programme Budget for 2024–2025 and 2026–2027. 

This follows months of reprioritization and restructuring – often through long nights and difficult decisions. 

Let me speak from the heart: this has been one of the most painful periods of my career. 

Financial hardship forced us to make difficult decisions. We had to downsize. And yes, we had to say goodbye to beloved colleagues – people who have been part of the WHO family, who have served with dedication, and help shaped our mission of health for all. 

Letting go is never easy. We worked in coordination with Headquarters and other WHO Regions. We did everything we could to protect the integrity of our work and the dignity of our people and our colleagues. 

Through it all, we have kept countries at the centre. We remain committed to impact, accountability and transparency – even with fewer resources. 

The Organization is stable. The Secretariat is strong. And together, we will continue to navigate this complex environment with courage and clarity. 

When we gather each year, we may not solve every problem. But we consolidate, we synergize and we take collective action. 

“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” This is our guiding light. 

Indeed, going together is our goal – as we continue weaving health for families, communities and societies. 

And as we look across our Region, we find inspiration in the Pacific – where the Healthy Islands vision was born in Yanuca Island, just an hour away from where we are now. 

It was here three decades ago that a group of visionary health leaders came together and imagined a future in which children are nurtured, environments are clean and communities thrive in harmony.

This vision remains as relevant today as it was then. And this weekend, Pacific health ministers will renew and revitalize it, looking back with pride and forward with purpose. 

Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of the Philippines once said, “We are not owners – we are stewards. And stewardship begins with seeing others not as a problem to fix, but as people to love.” 

In the Western Pacific Region, we are all stewards – the kind who offer hope, healing and humanity at every level of our systems. 

This week, let’s steward our Region with compassion. Let’s listen deeply, speak boldly and collaborate generously. 

Let’s mark the beginning of a week filled with fruitful discussions, courageous decisions and renewed commitment to our shared mission. 

Together, we paddle this vaka. 

Together, we chart the stars. 

And together, we weave the mat – each strand a voice, each thread a commitment, each knot a shared value. 

The mat we weave this week will not only carry the weight of our aspirations – it will become the foundation on which our Region stands stronger, more united and more compassionate. 

Before I close, let me thank our Outgoing Chair, the Honourable Minister Vainetutai Rose Toki Brown from the Cook Islands; Outgoing Vice-Chair, Vice-Minister Professor Huong Thi Lien Nguyen from Viet Nam; and our rapporteurs from the seventy-fifth session of the Regional Committee.

Chair, your service over the past year has been nothing but heroic, steering us through agendas, acronyms and action items. You’ve kept the region on cause even when wi-fi didn’t cooperate and coffee ran low. We are grateful for your leadership, your wisdom and your unwavering commitment to public health. As we say farewell to your tenure, we don’t say goodbye, we say vinaka vakalevu, and thank you for leaving the region in a better position for the new Chair to build on. And as someone once said, “leadership is not about being in charge, it’s about taking care of those in your charge.” You have just done that. Now enjoy the well-earned break from the Chair seat, but don’t get too comfortable, we may call you back again. 

Thank you all, and I wish you all a successful Regional Committee.