Introducing One Million More Midwives — Our Global Petition
The International Confederation of Midwives, in partnership with the PUSH campaign, is proud to launch One Million More Midwives, a global petition calling on governments and health leaders to grow, support, and sustain the midwifery workforce.
#OneMillionMore is more than a petition, it is a movement to make the urgent shortage of midwives impossible to ignore and to put midwives at the centre of conversations with the media, civil society, and governments.
Why One Million More?
Every two minutes, a woman dies from causes related to pregnancy or childbirth. Every 17 seconds, a baby is lost before birth. Each year, 2.3 million newborns die within the first 28 days of life. Caesarean birth rates are soaring to nearly 30% worldwide, often without improving population health outcomes. Obstetric violence and unmet family planning needs continue to harm women’s health and rights.
Midwives are the solution. They save lives, protect rights, and improve the quality of care for women and newborns. Upcoming research confirms that the world is short by one million midwives — the number needed to meet global sexual and reproductive health needs. With one million more, we could prevent 67% of maternal deaths, 64% of newborn deaths, and 65% of stillbirths by 2035 — saving more than 4.3 million lives by 2035.
A Timeline for Change
The petition launches on 14 October 2025 and will remain open until the final day of the ICM Triennial Congress in Lisbon in June 2026.
Between now and then, we will use every opportunity to build momentum, with a peak global advocacy moment on International Day of the Midwife 2026 (IDM2026). This year, IDM will carry the same theme as the campaign and Congress: One Million More Midwives. After the signatures are handed over at Congress, the campaign will continue in-country, with ICM providing member associations the signature data and advocacy tools they need to press their governments for action.
How You Can Join
We are calling on individuals everywhere to sign the petition — one signature for every midwife the world urgently needs.
Here’s how you can get involved:
- Sign the petition at www.millionmore.org
- Share it: Use the downloadable assets on the petition website to post on social media with the hashtag #OneMillionMore, or simply reshare our campaign content.
- Spread the word: Talk about the petition with family, colleagues, friends, neighbours, and your community.
- Take it offline: Download and print campaign posters to display in hospitals, birth centres, schools, community centres, or places of worship.
- Organise a petition drive in your workplace or community.
Are you an organisation, community leader, or have a large social media following? If you want to support or endorse the campaign further, email us at [email protected].
Together for One Million More
This petition belongs to all of us. Together, we can spark global visibility for midwives, inspire conversations about their critical role, and demand the investments needed to strengthen health systems worldwide.
The first step is clear: sign the petition today
