Advocacy

Addressing perinatal depression requires a culturally sensitive approach, focusing on emotional distress in maternal care, especially for vulnerable populations like Māori women in New Zealand.

Nepal strengthens maternal and newborn care through midwife-led clinics and advanced education programs, empowering midwives and improving healthcare access for women across the country.

Carolina and Yanina advocate for midwives’ autonomy in providing abortion services, emphasising the importance of legal frameworks, education, and collective support to ensure women's reproductive rights.

In February 2024, ICM hired award winning filmmaker Lynzy Billings to visit 11 hospitals across the West Bank. We documented the struggles midwives endure, working long shifts and resisting exhaustion as they try to support every woman who needs them.

Midwives in Africa are essential in improving maternal and newborn health. A new survey, created with ICM's Africa Regional Professional Committee, aims to assess midwifery-focused research, build stronger networks, and enhance collaboration among midwives across the continent.

Uganda's national campaign against postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) empowered communities and midwives to prevent and manage PPH, significantly contributing to reducing maternal mortality across the country.

ICM and NMAU hosted a virtual workshop to enhance advocacy skills, empowering Ugandan midwives to influence health policy, improve working conditions, and strengthen midwifery services nationwide.

Jeffthanie Mathurin's unexpected journey into midwifery transformed into a mission to elevate the profession in Haiti, overcoming challenges, gaining leadership roles, and advancing her career to inspire and empower young midwives.

ICM calls on midwives to increase knowledge and skills to support women postnatally, ensuring longer breastfeeding duration.

Luc de Bernis, a renowned maternal health advocate, passed away in April 2024. To honor his legacy, a special fund and the Luc de Bernis Midwifery Award will recognize midwives in challenging settings, with recipients announced at the ICM Congress in June 2026. Nomination details will be available on the ICM website in 2025.

To celebrate Self-Care Month, ICM spoke to Harriet Nabuwufu, a Ugandan midwife and self-care advocate, about the key role of midwives in promoting self-care for sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR).

There has been an important update regarding the upcoming ICM Regional Conference for Europe in Berlin, Germany. Due to unforeseen circumstances, we have had to make slight changes to both the date and venue of the event. The new conference dates are slightly later than originally planned, and will be 8-10 November 2024.