The head of Oxfam New Zealand says Pacific Island Forum leaders need to do more to improve access to clean water and basic sanitation in the region.
Barry Coates says a lot of people in the Pacific don't have access to basic sanitation such as toilets and many children are dying unnecessarily from water borne diseases.
He says while some attention was given to the issue by regional officials more leadership is needed to give people clean water and better hygiene facilities.
"At the officials level there's some work to identify this as a major priority but it hasn't really gained the impetus from the leader's meeting here in Port Vila. And you know from Oxfam's perspective there's a big gap between some of the things that are talked about at a regional level and things that translate into real activities on the ground."
