ICM and FIGO Collaborate for Access to Sexual and Reproductive Health Services
From 02-04 September 2025, midwives, obstetrician-gynaecologists and civil society representing global organisations as well as professional organisations from Nepal, Bangladesh, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Sierra Leone, and Mozambique and Kenya gathered in Nairobi for the first high-level meeting of the Collaborate for Women, Abortion and Contraception Care Project meeting. Over three days, participants reflected on achievements to date, confronted challenges in collaboration, and worked collectively to shape the future of the initiative. What emerged was a strong sense of shared purpose: midwives, doctors, and women’s advocates aligning around a joint vision for advancing family planning (FP) and comprehensive abortion care (CAC), guided by complementarity, accountability, and respect.
About the project
The Collaborate for Women, Abortion and Contraception Care Together (C4W ACCT) initiative is a joint effort led by the International Confederation of Midwives and the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics (FIGO), with technical input and background engagement from the WHO Special Programme in Human Reproduction (HRP) and the World Health Organization (WHO). The project works closely with national associations in Nepal, Bangladesh, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Sierra Leone, and Mozambique to strengthen the capacity of midwives and obstetricians-gynaecologists to deliver quality contraception, FP and CAC services. At its heart, C4W champions workforce optimisation, autonomy, and the amplification of women’s voices as essential to building health systems that are gender-transformative, rights-based, and person-centred.
Key takeaways
Leaders from ICM and FIGO were joined by regional and national leadership of their respective midwives’ associations and ob-gyn national societies, as well as global and national women’s advocacy groups. Building on a shared value of women’s health and agency, the Nairobi meeting reaffirmed that collaboration between midwives and ob-gyns is not just a value, it is a strategy for achieving stronger, more equitable care for every woman, everywhere. The meeting also showed that collaboration between professional organisations and advocacy groups is essential to expanding access to safe FP and CAC. The shared recognition and commitment that interprofessional collaboration is not an abstract goal but a practical necessity for meeting women’s needs resulted in the drafting of two ICM-FIGO Joint Statements: one on comprehensive abortion care and a second on interprofessional collaboration, which are expected to be published in early 2026.
Midwives, obstetrician-gynaecologists and women’s advocacy groups must meet this moment in time with strategic, collaborative leadership, to provide an evidence-based counterweight to increasing rollbacks in women’s health and rights. This is critical if we are to preserve the advances we have made in improving women’s health and reducing maternal mortality, but more importantly, to continue improving the health and lives of women and families globally. None of us can do it alone. The Nairobi meeting we committed to the Kenyan concept of Harambee – all pulling together – to transform gender norms and ensure women have the health services they need.
Women’s health is not only the responsibility of one profession. It requires shared responsibility, joint leadership, and a willingness to learn from, and about, each other.
Day One: Setting the stage for collaboration
The opening day laid the foundation for the convening, highlighting the importance of gender-transformative approaches in sexual and reproductive health. Sessions explored the goals of C4W, emphasising how collaboration across professional and advocacy groups is essential to expanding access to FP and CAC, using a gender transformative methodology and lens. Keynote contributions from ICM, FIGO, WHO, and advocacy partners underscored the urgency of workforce optimisation and the need for interprofessional respect in addressing global gaps in care.
Participants engaged in dynamic discussions on barriers to collaboration, including professional hierarchies, gender norms, and systemic challenges. Through facilitated activities, they began to surface both tensions and opportunities for partnership. The day concluded with a shared recognition that interprofessional collaboration is not an abstract goal but a practical necessity for meeting women’s needs, and that this convening was a critical moment to turn dialogue into action.
Day Two: Building shared understanding of collaboration
The second day focused on deepening understanding of the key principles of collaboration. After listening to powerful “elevator pitches” from ICM, FIGO, WHO, and women’s advocacy groups, participants unpacked concepts of autonomy, workforce optimisation, consultation and referral, and lifting women’s voices.
These themes guided profession-specific roundtables where midwives, obstetricians, and advocates reflected on their values, power dynamics, and how professional cultures shape care. Conversations were candid, often uncomfortable, but centred on one clear question: how can collaboration better serve women?
Bringing these insights back into plenary, participants worked toward drafting a shared definition of interprofessional collaboration in sexual and reproductive health (SRH). Stories of positive practice illustrated how collaboration can be realised in practice.
The day closed with a resource marketplace showcasing global tools and frameworks from ICM, FIGO, WHO, and others, fostering cross-learning and equipping participants with practical resources to take home. By the end of Day Two, participants had not only identified barriers but also concrete enablers for gender-responsive collaboration.
Day Three: Shaping commitments for the future
The final day shifted focus from reflection to action. Country taskforces reviewed their roadmaps, identified lessons learned, and strengthened plans to integrate gender-transformative approaches. At the same time, global and regional partners engaged in strategic dialogues to consolidate priorities and shape joint commitments. These parallel sessions ensured that both country-level implementation and global advocacy were aligned under a common vision.
In co-creation sessions, country teams presented concrete commitments for strengthening collaboration in FP and CAC. The meeting concluded with collective reflections and closing remarks from ICM, FIGO, and WHO, marking the official launch of Phase 2 of the C4W initiative.
Competetive and hierarchical leadership will never get us anywhere. It is time we adapt collaborative leadership, where we serve our professions and women.
