The 34th Triennial Congress of the International Confederation of Midwives – the world’s largest gathering of midwives, policymakers, researchers and advocates devoted to advancing midwifery models of care – takes place at a time of urgent need. Not only is the world facing a shortage of one million midwives, but progress in maternal and newborn mortality is plateauing and health inequities are widening.
UNFPA Executive Director Ms. Diene Keita will deliver opening remarks at the event, while UNFPA will champion the global transition towards midwifery models of care, advocate for essential maternal health commodities and advance the Midwifery Accelerator, a strategic framework for integrating midwifery into national health systems.
At a time when the case for investing in midwifery has never been more clear, UNFPA will also discuss new evidence, as well as global midwifery curricula, the midwifery investment case framework and recent research on midwifery-related gender inequality, among other topics.
Key UNFPA events are listed below. More information on the full programme can be found here.
13 June
One Million More Midwives March
UNFPA Executive Director Diene Keita will join midwives from around the world at this march to call for urgent global action on the midwifery workforce shortage.
14 June
Scaling Quality Midwifery Education: UNFPA-AIME Capacity Building
This full-day workshop will support 100 assembled midwives in advancing the pillars of the Midwifery Accelerator, with a focus on scaling up quality midwifery education. The event is hosted by UNFPA and the Alliance to Improve Midwifery Education (AIME), whose members include The Burnet Institute, the International Confederation of Midwives, Jhpiego, Laerdal Global Health, the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and the Maternity Foundation.
15 June
Midwives and Obstetrician-Gynaecologists Working Together
This session focuses on achieving universal and equitable access to rights-based family planning through enhanced collaboration between midwives and obstetrician-gynaecologists. The event will highlight the critical need to combat stigma, particularly for women and girls in fragile, conflict-affected and low-resource settings. The session is hosted by the International Confederation of Midwives, the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, UNFPA and the World Health Organization.
15 June
Using Evidence to Drive Policy Change and Build Capacity
This symposium will present findings from regional State of the World’s Midwifery reports and will also discuss UNFPA’s work in humanitarian settings. An expert panel will examine how this evidence can be used to strengthen policies, financing and capacity at the country level, among other topics.
15 June
“But the Oxytocin Doesn’t Work!” Midwives at the Front Line of Pharmacovigilance
This event examines the critical role of midwives in detecting, reporting and responding to substandard and falsified medicines. It will highlight the Every Woman Every Newborn Everywhere initiative’s work to increase access to quality-assured medicines and the urgent need to strengthen pharmacovigilance systems in low-resource settings to protect women’s lives. The event is hosted by UNFPA, Every Woman Every Newborn Everywhere and UNITAD.
15 June
Arab Regional Midwifery Advisory Group: Advancing Midwifery Leadership in the Arab States
This workshop will bring together members of the Arab Regional Midwifery Advisory Group to advance midwifery leadership across the Arab States, reinforcing UNFPA’s commitment to strengthening midwifery governance and professional development in the region.
15 June
Postpartum Hemorrhage Management: Bridging Global Guidelines and Front-line Practice
This session focuses on bridging the gap between global maternal health guidelines and front-line clinical practice. UNFPA will give a presentation on the application of training toolkits and the necessity of commodity security. The session will also include evidence-based success stories to demonstrate how reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health interventions save lives. The event is hosted by UNFPA, the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, the International Confederation of Midwives, the World Health Organization and Jhpiego.
17 June
Midwifery Scope of Practice: Global Research Findings
This event will present findings from UNFPA’s global midwifery scope-of-practice study, part of a suite of research including studies on global educators of midwives. A panel of policymakers, midwifery leaders, and global maternal and newborn health researchers will discuss how the evidence can enable midwives to practice to their full scope, among related topics. The event is hosted by UNFPA, the Burnet Institute and the International Confederation of Midwives.
17 June
Transitioning to Midwifery Models of Care: Lessons from Member States
This panel will introduce the World Health Organization’s implementation guidance on transitioning to midwifery models of care and examine how UN Member States are advancing evidence-based, person-centred care. The discussion will also explore how countries are adopting partnership-oriented approaches and what they mean for women, families and health systems. The event is hosted by UNFPA, the World Health Organization and the University of Gothenburg.
17 June
10 Million Safer Births Initiative in Sub-Saharan Africa
This session showcases the 10 Million Safer Births initiative, highlighting the use of the Safe Delivery App in the professional development of midwives to improve maternal and newborn health outcomes in Ethiopia, Nigeria and the United Republic of Tanzania. The event is hosted by UNFPA and the Maternity Foundation.
17 June
Clinical Skills Training Workshop for Midwifery Educators
This hands-on workshop for midwifery educators will upgrade practical knowledge and skills on healthcare including vacuum-assisted births. At the end of the session, midwifery educators will be able to apply effective teaching strategies for these clinical skills within their midwifery education programs. The workshop is hosted by UNFPA, the Burnet Institute, the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and Laerdal Global Health.
18 June
Midwives as Agents of Change: The Role of Midwives in the Prevention of Female Genital Mutilation
This session examines the critical role midwives play in preventing female genital mutilation in Asia, highlighting UNFPA’s critical work and the evidence base for midwife-led community engagement in ending this harmful practice.
