Report
Unlocking Impact: Midwives as the Key
Advocacy
ICM, PUSH
Last Edited 21 July 2026 21:11 CEST
In the face of growing polycrises—including geopolitical instability, economic disruption, and climate change—urgent, high-impact solutions are needed. Midwives stand out as one of the most strategic and cost-effective investments to address these crises, accelerate progress on the SDGs, and secure a healthier, more equitable, and resilient future.
This brief sets out the evidence of the impact midwives unlock on:
Economic growth
- Investing in midwives could add US$1T/year by 2040 to the global economy.
- Countries scaling midwifery (e.g., Lao PDR, Morocco) cut maternal/newborn deaths and gained substantial economic returns.
- Midwifery models of care are cost-effective, reducing unnecessary interventions and optimising resources.
Health equity
- Midwives can deliver ~90% of essential sexual and reproductive health services.
- They reach underserved/rural communities, lower out-of-pocket costs, and support UHC with respectful, rights-based care for women and gender diverse people.
Gender equality
- Midwives can deliver ~90% of essential sexual and reproductive health services.
- They reach underserved/rural communities, lower out-of-pocket costs, and support UHC with respectful, rights-based care for women and gender diverse people.
Climate resilience
- Midwives are frontline providers in floods, conflict and other humanitarian settings, sustaining lifesaving sexual and reproductive health services when systems are strained.
- Community-based care cuts travel and emissions and supports climate-resilient, equitable health systems.
PUSH is ICM’s global campaign for woman-centred care, advocating for midwives as the way to get us there.
We are building a global alliance that unites individual advocates, donors, and organisations from diverse sectors to transform health by championing midwives and ensuring woman-centred care is embedded across health systems.
