3 Feb 2011 The Nigerian Observer reports that the government are to employ 2000 more midwives in order to reduce maternal mortality. Read more

3 Feb 2011 UNFPA and Intel unveil joint effort to strengthen skills of midwives through technology. Read more

3 Feb 2011 Three UK midwifery lecturers win one of the UK's top midwifery prizes for their work with the country's first distance learning (workplace based) shortened midwifery programme. Read more

3 Feb 2011 Boston (USA) Governor Deval Patrick has signed legislation that will expand the medical authority of midwives to write prescriptions and order and interpret tests and therapeutics.  Read more

1 Feb 2012 Our Partners The White Ribbon Alliance are urgently looking for a 'Maternal Health Technical Specialist' to provide overall technical direction in safe motherhood to the USAID supported Health Policy Project. Read more.

31 Jan 2012 Prague court delivers landmark ruling in home births advocates’ battle with the state. A ruling last week by a Prague court might lead to a breakthrough in the ongoing Czech debate about home births. While state officials and health care providers have consistently opposed the practice over safety concerns, the court decided that mothers indeed have the right to choose the place of their child’s delivery, and the state has to provide all necessary assistance. Read more

27 Jan 2012 The countdown begins to the International Day of the Midwife on 5 May. Check out the campaign pages to see how you can get involved in spreading the good news about midwifery.

26 January 2012 ICM's Jemima Dennis-Antwi reports on the challenges and opportunities for midwifery education and practice in Africa in a paper for Evidence Based Midwifery. Read it here. The report refers to the ICM/UNFPA Programme 'Investing in Midwives' details of which can be found here.

23 January 2012  Zero Tolerance Day to Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is 6th February. Read the UN Secretary General's report here which summarises action taken in countries across the world and makes recommendations for the future. The ICM Position Statement on FGM can be read here. More information can be found here.

 

22 January 2012  With midwifery education the topic of the moment, it's worth watching this interview with New Zealand-based chairperson of the taskforce that developed the ICM’s midwifery regulations. Recorded at the ICM Triennial Congress in Durban last year, Sally Pairman talks about the process of such a mammoth task and how important it was to make sure the standards are representative of requirements in both more and less economically developed countries. And what the standards mean for midwifery services in the future. See it here

20 January 2012 Day two of the Multi-Stakeholder Midwifery Education Provider's meeting in The Hague. Organisations engaged in global midwifery education today share their experiences and insights. Follow the event in pictures on the ICM Facebook page: www.facebook.com/InternationalConfederationofMidwives

19 January 2012  Leading organisations involved in global midwifery education are meeting together with ICM to consider the challenges and opportunities for midwifery education worldwide and to investigate and explore how to collaborate in the dissemination of global competencies and standards for midwifery education.