On World Health Day, United Nations agencies and partners unite under the theme “Healthy beginnings, hopeful future”.
This year’s focus spotlights the urgent action needed to ensure access to high quality care for women and babies. Together, we are calling for immediate action and steadfast commitment from governments, sectors, societies, and communities to close gender gaps in care by prioritizing resources and leading reform.
With a year-long campaign, it is an opportunity to talanoa and share stories about mothers’ experiences to motivate, support and celebrate women as the fabric of families, communities, and societies.
The Pacific region faces some of the starkest maternal and newborn health disparities in the world. Climate change, remoteness of Pacific islands, and fragile healthcare systems magnify these challenges, yet the Pacific holds immense potential for progress.
The maternal mortality ratio and neonatal mortality rate are core indicators that serve as crucial measures of both maternal and newborn health and how well health care systems protect mothers and babies.
The maternal mortality ratio in some Pacific countries is estimated to exceed 120 per 100 000 live births, while neonatal mortality rates are as high as 40 in every 1000 live births.1
These figures remind us that swift action is needed to meet the maternal and newborn health 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) targets, committed by countries in 2015.2
Behind these figures are devastating human stories of loss and lifelong grief, highlighting the need for transformative and systemic change to improve maternal and newborn care.
As Dr Mark Jacobs, WHO Representative to the South Pacific and Director of Pacific Technical Support explains, “investing in maternal and newborn health isn’t just an act of care—it’s an investment in the future." He adds, “beyond moving the dial on statistics, pregnancy and birth health care should be accessible, trauma-sensitive, and offer mothers, newborns, and their families’ dignity and respect during and beyond birth. This year’s World Health Day theme is about more than survival—it is a rallying cry for hope and opportunity.”
Radical action and innovative partnerships are needed to close equity gaps, strengthen the foundation of Pacific peoples and communities and make strides for health and development goals across interconnected sectors such as climate change, education, and socioeconomic empowerment.
Better quality maternal and newborn care require increased investments—including for sexual and reproductive health, mental health, as well as robust health systems, and a commitment to addressing education, nutrition and gender equity.
UNFPA emphasizes the fundamental link between reproductive rights and health outcomes. Ms. Bidisha Pillai, UNFPA Director of the Pacific Sub Regional Office and Representative to Fiji, underscores that, “safety for pregnant mothers, quality of care and accessible health facilities are all crucial elements in safeguarding maternal and newborn health, which are cornerstones of development. Across the Pacific, UNFPA is strengthening reproductive health services, from expanding access to modern contraception to training midwives and ensuring life-saving maternal health supplies reach the most remote communities. Investing in these areas not only save lives but also empower women, families and entire communities.”
Agencies work alongside governments, civil society organizations and communities to provide life-saving reproductive health supplies, medications and equipment, as well as information for women and girls about sexual and reproductive health and how to access health care to protect their health and well-being.
These initiatives reduce maternal and newborn mortality rates while empower women with the resources they need for better health outcomes. By strengthening healthcare systems, we promote long-term sustainability in the Pacific and ensure that every woman can access the care she needs to nurture resilient families and communities.
Mr Jonathan Veitch, UNICEF Pacific Representative adds, “It is heartbreaking to see children and women still losing their lives to easily preventable causes. We must strengthen efforts to shift from merely treating diseases to strengthening primary health care systems and empowering communities. Only then can we ensure that every child and woman, even in remotest locations, has access to affordable, quality care and is able to lead a healthy life.”
“Collaboration is the way we can ensure every woman and newborn receives the care they deserve,” says Dr Berlin Kafoa, Director of Public Health at SPC.
“We have just concluded the fifth Pacific Heads of Nursing and Midwifery Meeting which coincides with this year’s theme. The nursing workforce is the backbone of the health sector, and nurses and midwives are present at the start and end of life. The meeting emphasized key recommendations that will contribute towards efforts to end preventable maternal and newborn deaths and achieve the SDGs. We cannot do this alone, which is why collaboration with governments, partners, stakeholders and donors is critical.”
Pacific nations often demonstrate solidarity and commitment to action. The 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent exemplifies this power of unity. It envisions a future of resilience, inclusion and sustainable prosperity—values that hinge upon ensuring equity in maternal and newborn health.
This year also marks 30 years after the inception of the Healthy Islands vision. Envisioned by the Pacific health ministers in 1995, the Healthy Islands vision charted a holistic roadmap for Pacific health and wellbeing, capturing principles that remain profoundly relevant today:
Children are nurtured in body and mind;
Environments invite learning and leisure;
People work and age with dignity;
Ecological balance is a source of pride; and
The ocean which sustains us is protected.
This vision reminds us that health equity has always been at the heart of achieving a better future—not just for individuals, but for entire communities and ecosystems.
Thirty years ago, Pacific leaders recognized that health for all is a foundation for progress across education, climate action and socioeconomic development, a philosophy that is perhaps even more relevant now.
As the world reflects on this historic moment, we step forward together boldly in action. Together, through solidarity and determination, we can empower women, protect newborns, and lay the foundation for a healthier, more resilient and more equitable Pacific.
