It's finally congress year! Are you ready to gather in Lisbon in just 6 months to strengthen midwifery, share knowledge, and drive change for women, newborns, and families everywhere? Learn more and register now: zurl.co/rA2n1

Have you already sent the link to your friends and colleagues & are wondering what else you can do to promote the #OneMillionMore petition? Here are 5 ways you can keep advocating for more midwives & call government to invest in the midwifery workforce! Sign & share the petition now: zurl.co/XIQjT

This #ResourceTuesday learn what makes midwife-led birthing centres work! Discover key findings, lessons learned, and evidence to support scaling up this model of care. Catch it again here: zurl.co/2J5Ye

The first cohort of ICM's Executive Sponsorship Programme included more than 100 participants, opening new possibilities for current and future global midwifery leaders. Applications for the second cohort are now OPEN! Apply to be an Executive Sponsor or Sponsee by 19 January: zurl.co/WlZUJ

A recent study in Italy offers important insights into how mental health screening and support during pregnancy and postpartum are being perceived and delivered — highlighting both challenges and opportunities for midwives and maternity care. Read the full article: zurl.co/y9KzN

What are your hopes for 2026? Here’s what the ICM team is wishing for midwives in the year ahead. Tell us yours in the comments! And sign the petition to make these dreams a reality: zurl.co/DmBzq

ICM wishes you happy holidays! We are grateful to our global midwife community, partners, and supporters. We look ahead to 2026 with energy and purpose — a year where we’ll continue pushing for #OneMillionMore, gather at our upcoming ICM Triennial Congress, and drive forward the change needed.

As we approach the end of the year, we need your help to reach 20,000 signatures for One Million More. If every one of our Instagram followers shared this petition with just two people, we would gain almost 60,000 additional signatures! Sign now & share with two people today: zurl.co/UthiA

On this #ResourceTuesday, we are highlighting this practical guide outlining twelve essential steps to ensure maternity care is safe, respectful, and centred on families — from labour through to newborn care. Download it here: zurl.co/8MF6w

It’s been a challenging year for sexual and reproductive health and rights, but midwives and their allies have kept moving forward. We’re working to put #OneMillionMore midwives at the centre of health, advocacy, and change. Thank you for being part of the journey—here’s to a strong start to 2026!

Midwives support menstrual health at every stage of life. They help manage periods, support women, & provide trusted menstrual health education. That’s why we’re calling for #OneMillionMore midwives - so every woman, everywhere, can access informed, person-centred care. Sign & share: zurl.co/4tZJ5

A qualitative study in Japan highlights why midwives must be supported to practise to their full scope, including autonomous decision‐making, continuous monitoring, & relational care, so that women everywhere receive responsive, right-based care before, during & after childbirth. 🔗: zurl.co/YxWFD

This holiday season, help send a midwife to the 34th ICM Triennial Congress in Lisbon! Your donation will give a midwife from a low- or middle-income country the chance to learn from global experts, share experiences, and bring new ideas back to their community. 🔗: zurl.co/AIBEt

Midwives are there to provide compassionate, culturally sensitive, evidence-based care. On #WorldMigrantsDay, we want to emphasise how every person deserves safe, respectful sexual, reproductive, maternal, newborn, and adolescent health care. Read our position statement at: zurl.co/q0cGM

Are you spreading the word about the #OneMillionMore petition in creative ways? Let us know and win the chance to get one of three free tickets to come to the the biggest midwifery Congress in Lisbon in 2026! Learn how at: zurl.co/F19Ky

Malawi could soon face a severe shortage of midwives, that could severely impact the safety & quality of maternity care. But Malawi is not alone, globally we are missing #OneMillionMore midwives. Sign our petition to grow, support & sustain midwifery: zurl.co/8aAxG Read more at: zurl.co/9j4Gl

This #ResourceTuesday, we’re highlighting an essential guide on how to integrate the ICM Essential Competencies into midwifery education programmes. It is a valuable resource for educators aiming to design learning activities and assessments within a competency-based curriculum. 🔗: zurl.co/2zt3E

This new editorial highlights the urgent global need for more midwives—and why the #OneMillionMore petition matters in every country. In fact, Europe is also facing serious pressures limiting midwives’ ability to provide high-quality, continuous, woman-centred care. 🔗: zurl.co/YRa2L

We are happy to contribute to this piece by The Independent, highlighting the changes needed in maternity wards to ensure maternal & neonatal safety. Our Chief Executive reflects on how the perception and role of midwifery in Nordic countries positively influences health outcomes. 🔗: zurl.co/cngVY

A recent paper examines how Australian health professional associations handle conflicts of interest related to commercial formula marketing, arguing that financial ties with the formula industry can undermine breastfeeding advocacy and distort both education and practice. 🔗: zurl.co/Qy4PH

Midwife Neha Mankani, ICM's Humanitarian Engagement and Climate Advisor, joined this year’s Goalkeepers Event which brings together leaders working to end preventable maternal and child deaths. Thank you Gates Foundation for inviting us! Catch the whole event at: zurl.co/yulys

Midwives from the Moroccan Association of Midwives, work at a caravan after the 2023 earthquake. When climate disasters strike, women and girls are often the most vulnerable. Midwives step in, providing life-saving sexual and reproductive healthcare and help communities rebuild. 📸Badr el Hardag

We’re excited to announce the second cohort of the ICM Midwife Leaders Executive Sponsorship Programme, designed to strengthen midwifery leadership. Emerging midwife leaders are paired with senior-level executive sponsors who provide strategic guidance, visibility, & advocacy. 🔗: zurl.co/iMH7Z

Midwives care for everyone for more than just birth — they support them through every stage of life: first periods, contraception, sexual health, pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and menopause. That's why this petition is for everyone who cares about health, dignity, and rights. 🔗: zurl.co/0h7rC

Pack for your future at ICM Triennial Congress in Lisbon! Get ready to fill your suitcase with knowledge, leadership, innovation, global collaboration, and so much more. Next June, thousands of midwives will come together to learn, share & shape the future of midwifery. Register now: zurl.co/tEE8E

Strong partnerships between midwifery associations & universities ensure training matches real-world practice, better preparing midwives to meet the needs of the communities they serve. The article offers insights on how these collaborations can strengthen the profession. Read more: zurl.co/9Nnf2

Explore our supplementary guide on how to meet the ICM Global Standards for Midwifery Education — Practical Clinical Experience. This guide offers practical tools and advice to ensure students receive high‑quality, hands‑on clinical practice. 👉 Download the guide at: zurl.co/6hQbO

Join us tomorrow for the second session of our AIME webinar series! Together with experts, we will discuss how to support midwife educators to maintain professional competencies - through country experiences from the Philippines, Samoa and Kenya. Register here: zurl.co/M3LZB

From the beginning of 2025, approximately 65,000 people have fled the Democratic Republic of the Congo into Burundi. Here, midwives are often first responders to gender-based violence, providing medical, psychological, and community support to survivors. 🔗: zurl.co/BZt7k

Researchers have developed a Pregnancy‑Specific Climate Change Awareness Scale to measure how aware pregnant women are of the potential impacts of climate change on maternal and fetal health. Read the full study: zurl.co/ZpY2x

Don't miss the last newsletter of the year! In this latest issue you'll find an end-of-year letter from our CE Anna af Ugglas, creative ways to engage with our campaigns in 2026, and interesting articles and interviews! If you're not subscribed yet, sign up here: zurl.co/APZvu

A study reveals that while global rates of caesarean section are rising, a significant proportion of these procedures in urban Tanzania lacked clear medical indications. The research shows that 32 % of births were by caesarean, and of these, 40 % had no valid medical indication. 🔗: zurl.co/pbkaA

Does your country need better working conditions? Do you need professional recognition? Investment in midwifery education? Signing the #OneMillionMore petition also means advocating for the current midwifery workforce! Sign and share the petition with your friends and colleagues: zurl.co/wBorj

Are you an artist, creative, or community platform interested in exhibiting at the 34th ICM Triennial Congress? The Artisans Village will be a dedicated exhibition space. If you would like to showcase your work, please get in touch at: [email protected] Spaces are limited.

Despite their critical role many midwives in Spain face unstable working conditions. This undermines continuity of care, makes retention difficult, and threatens the future of sexual, reproductive, maternal, newborn, adolescent health services. Read the full article at: zurl.co/QYOSz

How can the 2024 Essential Competencies strengthen midwifery education? Revisit the first webinar of the mini-series where ICM and AIME (Alliance to Improve Midwifery Education) partners explore the updated Competencies and their impact on midwifery education worldwide. 🎬 zurl.co/3QAqG

A recent study examines midwives' knowledge, adaptation strategies, and preparedness for providing care to pregnant women during climate change-related events. It highlights the urgent need for integrating climate resilience into midwifery training and practice. 🔗: zurl.co/6LWOP

Midwife Dalia Khatun is making the patients aware of pregnancy checkups and self-care in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. She does routine examinations in the female ward and attends to newborn babies and mothers mostly who arrives from Rohingya camp. 📸 Fabeha Monir

In October, ICM kicked off its first Regional Advocacy Incubator in East Africa, bringing together Midwives Associations from 5 different countries to lead change & amplify their voices on sexual & reproductive health. Learn how this will strengthen advocacy across the region: zurl.co/7P0cV

Are you an ICM Member Association and are you interested in co-hosting the 2032 Triennial Congress? You are invited to submit a Co-host Bid! Next year, the Council will vote to select the two top bids submitted from member associations. Submit your bid before 16 Janurary: zurl.co/EuIkB

Help send a midwife to congress: support ICM’s holiday campaign by donating so that more midwives—especially from low-income countries—can attend our Triennial Congress. Your gift helps empower midwives with knowledge, networks, and a stronger voice. Learn more and donate here: zurl.co/bo8zm

The One Million More campaign isn’t just about increasing numbers — it’s about strengthening the midwives we already have. Because when midwives are supported, trained, and empowered, births are safer and care is better for everyone. Sign the petition now: zurl.co/OWrqw

In Latvia, a group of midwives is proving just how impactful that role can be. They’re creating safe, supportive spaces where young people can ask questions, access evidence-based information, and make informed choices about their health. Read the full interview: zurl.co/VinXh

While midwives arrive from around the world and gather for our triennial congress, the Midwives March is a symbol of solidarity. We cannot wait to see you march with us next year at the 34th ICM Triennial Congress – you don't want to miss it? Register now: zurl.co/Vjsl8

More than a 120 participants joined ICM and PUSH at the in-person even at ICFP 2025 for the launch of our newest evidence brief “Unlocking Impact: Midwives as the Key". 👉 zurl.co/NaUV2

To kick off the #16Days of Activism against GBV, this #ResourceTuesday we are sharing ICM’s statement on understanding, naming, & addressing obstetric violence. Every woman deserves childbirth free from mistreatment, abuse, and neglect. 🔗: zurl.co/1Tchh

To celebrate your creativity and commitment, we’re launching the One Million More Contest! Share how YOU are gathering signatures, upload a photo, and you could win one of three free registrations to join us at the 2026 ICM Triennial Congress in Lisbon. Learn the conditions at: zurl.co/ikhZc

Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) is a proven, life-saving intervention that significantly reduces neonatal mortality. WHO has released a new clinical guide on KMC for preterm & low birth weight babies — developed with contributions from ICM: zurl.co/ie8xK

ICM has launched the first-ever Global Standards for Midwife Faculty Development — a milestone designed to strengthen midwifery education worldwide. In our article, explore how these standards support stronger curricula, stronger educators, and ultimately, stronger midwifery care: zurl.co/wc3ME

The @who.int in collaboration with Jhpiego, FIGO, Laerdal, UNFPA, HRP and ICM have released a comprehensive guide aimed at enhancing midwifery regulation worldwide. The “Bleeding after birth” training course was developed to translate those guidelines & standards into practice. 🔗: zurl.co/fSqBq