Building on the work of the previous triennium ICM harnessed the energy, enthusiasm and insights of midwives and our stakeholders around the world to lead the call of midwives and women at global, regional and local levels for strengthened midwifery services. Women and their families have a fundamental human right of access to midwives as the health professionals most equipped to support them with respectful, individualised and high quality care throughout the childbirth continuum. Midwives, too, have the right to be recognised, respected and supported as well-educated, regulated and autonomous health professionals to provide this essential care. It is our aspiration to work more closely with governments to ensure these rights are fulfilled. Investment in midwives is essential to ensure high-quality midwifery care is available to all women and their newborns – not only to reduce unnecessary interventions and preventable maternal and neonatal deaths, but to improve and protect their health outcomes on a global scale and achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
We recognise the necessity of ICM to not only demand better access for women to competent midwives and women-centred childbirth services, but to also deliver expertise, resources, leadership and support to our Member Associations, partners and stakeholders that underpin the development of these midwife- led and women-centred childbirth services in all settings. This duality of both rights and responsibilites is the nexus of our strategic goals for this triennium. We must lead in advocating for our unique midwifery expertise to our partners and other stakeholders at global, regional and local levels. We must ensure equity of representation in all spaces and all conversations that pertain to women, midwives, and their unique partnership during the childbirth continuum. We must demand regulation, education and support of midwives to ensure quality of care for women, their newborns and families and their communities.
ICM’s strategy reflects the priorities and aspirations of our Member Associations, articulated by the ICM Council and further developed by the ICM Board. As a member organisation, non-government organisation and development partner, ICM must balance the needs of its members with those of its partners and stakeholders in how we implement our strategy. We have purposefully used the terms ‘demand’ and ‘deliver’ to frame our advocacy activity and our service activities.