Launching The Midwifery Accelerator: PUSH Campaign at the Commission on Population and Development and World Health Assembly

The Midwifery Accelerator:

As ICM’s global campaign for woman-centred care, PUSH advocates for midwives as the key solution.  We have been busy advocating for midwives and midwifery models of care alongside our partners and fellow woman-centred care champions from #CPD58 in New York to #WHA78 in Geneva!  

For this year’s World Health Day, we joined global maternal health experts and advocates at the 58th Session of the Commission on Population and Development (CPD58) around this year’s theme #HealthyBeginningsHopefulFutures calling for #moremidwives to #endpreventablematernalmortality

Maternal mortality represents one of the gravest forms of injustice, a preventable tragedy. Over a quarter million women die annually giving birth (yes, that’s over 260,000 maternal deaths per year, according to recently launched estimates). Backed by data and proven results — including dramatic maternal mortality reductions in countries like Tanzania (80%) and Sierra Leone (79%) — we know that putting midwives at the centre helps to build stronger, fairer, and more resilient health systems.

The International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) joined global partners to launch the Midwifery Accelerator — a bold, coordinated initiative aimed at reversing preventable maternal deaths and investing in frontline care. The Midwifery Accelerator, co-led by ICM, UNFPA, WHO, UNICEF, and Jhpiego, provides a clear roadmap: train more midwives, deploy them equitably, and ensure they are fully supported and integrated into national health systems.  

ICM’s Chief Executive, Anna af Ugglas, highlighted the crucial role that midwives play in saving lives:

“Midwives play a critical role in reducing maternal and newborn mortality, especially during crises when health systems are under strain or have collapsed. They are often the first and only point of care in emergencies and can provide up to 90% of essential SRMNAH services. Midwives are uniquely positioned to respond rapidly. Based in the community and trusted by those they serve, they can distribute resources and accurate information, deliver care with minimal resources, and maintain continuity for those facing crisis-related complications. In many cases, aid takes time to arrive, but midwives are already there — with the knowledge, networks, and adaptability to act quickly and effectively.”

Today at the 78^th session of the World Health Assembly (#WHA78), we proudly joined global leaders and partners at the *Ministerial Breakfast on Scaling Up Midwifery Models of Care*—a powerful gathering co-hosted by International Confederation of Midwives (ICM), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), UNICEF, World Health Organization, and others.  

We highlighted the critical role of midwives in transforming maternal and newborn health and called for stronger political and financial commitments to midwife models of care. Ministers from across the globe made bold commitments to invest in midwifery, strengthen frontline health systems, and prioritize maternal and newborn health. We were especially proud to learn from the exemplary leadership of Zambia and Bangladesh who championed and positioned midwives as the solution to addressing health outcomes.

We were especially proud to extend the PUSH Campaign photo exhibit from CSW to CPD! 🌍✨ PUSH's woman-centred care in action spotlighting midwives at the forefront of gender equality lined the entrance to this high-level event, featuring midwives standing with women, across all regions.

Scaling up quality midwifery models of care stands as a critical, sustainable, and cost-effective solution. Investing in midwives ensures that every woman, regardless of location or circumstance, has access to quality maternal healthcare.  

The evidence is clear and the time to act is now.  The future of maternal and newborn health starts with midwives. Let’s keep pushing forward!