Relive the 32nd ICM Virtual Triennial Congress

We ended the month of June on a high note with the culmination of the 32nd ICM Virtual Triennial Congress. Every Wednesday in June, we brought together 2000+ delegates for interactive sessions, virtual networking and an opportunity to contribute to the future of midwifery. This video was played during the closing ceremony on Wednesday 30th June 2021, and it provides a small sample of the educational and inspirational conversations that took place throughout Congress.  

Once again, we would like to thank all of the partners and sponsors who made this virtual congress possible, and a special thank you to our premier sponsor, Johnson’s, who enabled ICM to bring together our global community despite a global pandemic. Thank you to the organising team and those who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to make each day a success. A huge thank you to all of the midwives who came to listen as well as those who held incredible sessions, to those that engaged with the congress on social media, to the organisations and institutions who shared the latest work, research and evidence, and to the incredible speakers who led our plenary talks – this would not have been possible without you.

The closing ceremony of Congress also saw the announcement of the PUSH campaign, a decade-long global movement for women and the midwives who protect and uphold their rights and bodily autonomy. PUSH will accelerate progress on reducing maternal and neonatal mortality, advance SRHR, address key barriers to women’s leadership in the global health workforce, and shift underlying gender norms that undervalue women’s rights, lives and work.  

It's time to PUSH for rights, for women, for midwives. Learn more about the concrete actions we're taking, alongside other partners, midwives and women, to radically change the healthcare landscape. 

By the time we finally come together for the 2023 Congress, it will be six years since our last in-person global gathering! It will be a momentous occasion and we are really looking forward to it! The theme for the 2023 Congress, Together again: from evidence to reality, reflects our excitement for face-to-face engagement and points to the work we’re undertaking to implement the evidence, which continues to demonstrate the investment case for midwives. 

The ICM Scientific Professional Programme Committee (SPPC) will soon begin developing a diverse programme of collaborative, innovative and interactive sessions led by global health, midwifery and maternal health advocates, scholars and leaders. With delegates, speakers and exhibitors from all over the world, this Congress is designed to not only support you in your professional development but to support midwives as a collective to come together, build relationships, cultivate ideas, and identify pathways for progress. 

“What do you want most in your role as a midwife?” Share your answer as part of the What Women Want: Midwives’ Voices, Midwives’ Demands initiative and have your voice heard! What Women Want: Midwives' Voices, Midwives' Demands is surveying midwives about what they want and need to better serve women in their care and for themselves as midwives. Survey results will inform the development of targeted advocacy agendas at the country level as well as globally – to be taken forward not only by local midwives' associations, the International Confederation of Midwives, and White Ribbon Alliance, but also by gender equality, human rights, and other champions – to create real, lasting, positive change for midwives and women all over the world.