The Ministry of Finance together with the 14 sectors have come together to develop a Population Policy and a framework for action to coordinate efforts to manage the impacts of population change in Samoa. The policy would replace the national population policy 1998, housed under the Ministry of Health.
The 1998 policy was never implemented due to several reasons, including limitations with resourcing. The Government had contracted the services of a population consultant and advisor, Alistair Wilkinson, to assist the Ministry and sectors with the task.
Following a series of consultations in October 2015, a draft national population action plan had been developed. The action plan is expected to help Government address expected and unanticipated effects of population change in Samoa. Some of the key areas in the draft action plan include fertility, migration, health and education, the environment, and the provision of safe drinking water, sanitation services and energy.
The population action plan is expected to incorporate the Sustainable Development Goals as well as relevant aspects of the SIDS Accelerated Modalities of Action (SAMOA) Pathway, a product of the Third International Conference on Small Island Developing States Conference held in Samoa 2014.