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| NACPM Joins the International Confederation of Midwives! | March 31, 2014 |
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Congratulations CPMs! Our professional association - the National Association of Certified Professional Midwives -- has been accepted for membership in the International Confederation of Midwives!
ICM membership is comprised of 108 midwives associations, representing 95 countries across every continent. Together these associations represent more than 300,000 midwives globally. NACPM is pleased to have the opportunity to participate in the ICM alongside the American College of Nurse-Midwives and the Midwives Alliance of North America, both long-standing ICM members from the United States. NACPM President Ellie Daniels and Executive Director Mary Lawlor will be the first NACPM representatives to participate in the ICM Council of Delegates, which meets this June in Prague, Czech Republic.
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 I am proud and humbled for NACPM to step onto the global stage representing CPMs. We have so much to learn from our colleagues worldwide who struggle every day to provide the highest quality care under the most trying circumstances. We will also bring our own knowledge and experience as CPMs to share in supporting the development of an autonomous midwifery profession committed to preserving normal physiologic birth in a system that often doesn't reflect our values or respect women's choices. Ellie Daniels, NACPM President
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The ICM is committed to "strengthening midwives association and to advancing the profession of midwifery globally by promoting autonomous midwives as the most appropriate caregivers for childbearing women and in keeping birth normal, in order to enhance the reproductive health of women, and the health of their newborn and their families." The ICM has developed various interrelated ICM Core Documents which provide guidance to midwives associations and policymakers to improve on the education and regulation of midwives in order to produce a quality midwifery workforce. NACPM is exploring how the ICM Core Documents may be useful in strengthening midwifery in the U.S. We also continue our collaboration with the ACNM, AMCB, ACME, MANA, NARM and MEAC - the organizations responsible for national certification of midwives and accreditation of midwifery education programs in the U.S. - through the US Midwifery, Education and Regulation (US MERA) Joint Project. Our next national meeting is set for April in Maryland.
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 NACPM shares the ICM vision that every childbearing woman in the world has access to a midwife's care for herself and her newborn. Through our study and work, we have come to appreciate the value of the ICM Core Documents and the support they provide for the development and strengthening of midwifery. Now we have the opportunity to become even more fully engaged in the ongoing evaluation and refinement of the standards as they apply in the U.S. and around the world. Mary Lawlor, NACPM Executive Director |
 The ICM also represents midwifery in global forums that include the World Health Organization and other UN Agencies, global professional health care organizations including the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO), the International Pediatric Association (IPA), the International Council of Nurses (ICN), non-governmental organizations, bilateral and civil society groups. In 2011, the first ever comprehensive report on the "State of World Midwifery" brought global attention to the need to support midwifery in order to improve care and reduce maternal and infant mortality. Working with numerous partner organizations, ICM has organized conferences and training programs on every continent to spread the word and build support.
For example, in Malaysia in June 2013 ICM co-hosted the Second Global Midwifery Symposium which resulted in a commitment from participants representing 29 international agencies, professional associations, non-governmental organizations, and academic institutions to champion the provision of widely available, accessible, acceptable and high quality midwifery services.
In another example, from 2008 to 2013, ICM and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) conducted a joint program, "Investing in Midwives and others with Midwifery Skills," to accelerate progress towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals. The program took place in about 30 countries, mainly in sub-Saharan Africa and a few in Asia and Latin America. The Program's overall goal was to improve skilled attendance at birth in low resource settings by developing a sustainable midwifery workforce. Work was focused on creating a "critical mass" of Country Midwifery Advisors (CMAs) who were identifying gaps in midwifery education, regulation and professional associations. The CMAs were working with Governments at national and regional levels to develop policies and programs to address these gaps in order to elevate the availability and quality of care provided by midwives. Thousands of midwives gather every three years for an international conference sponsored by the ICM. The last Triennial Congress was held in 2011 in Durban, South Africa, and drew more than 3000 participants. This year it will be held in Prague, Czech Republic and NACPM will be there! We encourage you to explore these and other activities of the ICM through website, newsletters and journals. And stay-tuned for updates from the US MERA meetings and the ICM Triennial Congress in Prague.
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Please join NACPM in our ongoing work to advocate for quality improvements in national maternity care.
Sincerely,
Mary Lawlor, CPM
Executive Director, NACPM
Ellie Daniels, CPM
President, NACPM
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