International Day of the Midwife 2011
ICM calls on midwives and supporters to take to the streets
5 MAY 2011 | More than 22,000 people in 31 countries are marching for midwifery to commemorate International Day of the Midwife this year. The International Confederation of Midwives has asked member associations, midwives and their supporters around the world to take to the streets on and around 5 May 2011 to raise awareness and build commitments toward tackling global inequalities in maternal and newborn mortality and to highlight local issues in midwifery service provision.
The walk on 5 May 2011 launches the start of the International Confederation of Midwives' Road to Durban — a journey that finishes in South Africa at the 29th ICM Triennial Congress on 18 June 2011. Here midwives from around the world will gather to walk the final 5 km shoulder to shoulder and spread the word that the world needs midwives, now more than ever.
Message from ICM President, Bridget Lynch
Speaking from Kabul, Afghanistan, a country where maternal mortality rates are unacceptably high, Bridget Lynch, President of International Confederation of Midwives, recorded a video message to the midwives of the world: “In cities and towns, midwives are walking with colleagues, with the women they care for, with their supports, on 5 km marches to bring to the attention of our governments in all our countries the plight of women, the issues of sexual and reproductive health, the unnecessary deaths that are taking place in low-income countries, and bringing the attention to our governments, to our people, to demand that these deaths stop, that women wherever they live in the world have access to sexual and reproductive health care, family planning, and that they have access to the highest quality midwifery services so that no woman needs to die because she is pregnant, because she has given birth, or because she is poor.”
Executive Director of UNFPA: Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin
"...As the Executive Director of UNFPA, I commend the important work of midwives. Midwives deliver – and not only babies. They save lives and promote good health in societies as a whole. They are an essential workforce in an effective healthcare system."
WHO message from ADG Dr Flavia Bustreo
Assistant Director-General of Family and Community Health, (World Health Organization) released a statement promoting the significant impact of midwives on efforts to achieve MDGs 4 and 5 and the UN Secretary-General’s Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health: “As presented in the upcoming The State of the World’s Midwifery report, the role of midwives is acknowledged as being crucial to addressing maternal and newborn mortality and morbidity, to promoting women’s and children’s health. Midwives should be key partners in making health services more responsive to the needs of women and communities.”