ICM 2011: New president sworn in
23 JUNE 2011 – Frances Day-Stirk, Director of Learning Research and Practice Development at the Royal College of Midwives in London, UK, has taken over the top position at the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM), a global organization representing more than 250,000 midwives from autonomous member associations in 90 countries.
n the closing ceremony of the 29th ICM triennial congress in Durban, South Africa, outgoing president Bridget Lynch announced Mrs Day-Stirk’s promotion from vice-president. She will remain in post for the next three years, when a new president will be voted in at the 2014 ICM congress in Prague.
Mrs Day-Stirk said that it is an “honour and a privilege” to be elected as ICM President. “The sun is shining on midwives. We will reach our goals.”
“The ICM will be working hard to make the Millennium Development Goal (MDG5) of reducing maternal mortality by 75% by 2015 a reality and not a pipe dream. Every minute across the developing world a woman dies during pregnancy and childbirth. The tragedy of maternal mortality is that it robs vulnerable babies of a mother. Across the world, midwives are working to bridge the huge economic, social and geographical inequalities in maternal deaths.”