Shania Shayal Prasad 
Pacific island countries face a fragmented and underfunded HIV response, heavily reliant on external support, UNAIDS Regional Director Eamonn Murphy said.
Fiji is taking the lead by coordinating health services, government, and community efforts to tackle the epidemic.
Murphy said strong domestic investment and regional collaboration are essential.
He says no Pacific island is safe until all islands act together, calling for stronger regional unity.
“So learning and understanding how to respond, providing to each other, particularly if there’s a risk behavior that’s not socially acceptable, is best done within the community and it also makes it cheaper which is critical for government services to have community engaging in direct service delivery.”
Murphy emphasizes that integrating HIV prevention and treatment within communities is critical.
UNAIDS Regional Director Eamonn Murphy
Assistant Minister for Health Penioni Ravunawa says the Ministry is recruiting trained personnel to strengthen HIV services nationwide.
“So very soon the Ministry will be advertising for posts that are critical to bring together the right people fit for purpose to be able to tackle the HIV crisis that we currently face.”
Fiji is leading the Pacific in HIV response, with Murphy and Ravunawa stressing that coordinated government action, community engagement, and regional partnership are vital to protecting vulnerable groups.
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