International Confederation of

Midwives

Presented By:
Saraswati Neupane
MN 2nd year(2016)
 ICM…
• ICM is an accredited non-governmental organisation and
represents midwives and midwifery to organisations worldwide
to achieve common goals in the care of mothers and newborns.
• The International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) is the sole
global representative and the voice of midwives and midwifery.
ICM has the responsibility of developing midwifery as a
profession and ensuring that the people who use the title
midwife are appropriately qualified, i.e. they possess the
competencies which enable them to provide quality midwifery
care and that they have been prepared through an education
programme which meets global standards.
• The International Confederation of Midwives
(ICM) supports, represents and works to
strengthen professional associations of midwives
throughout the world. There are currently 121
Midwives Associations, representing 108
countries across every continent. ICM is organised
into four regions: Africa, the Americas, Asia Pacific
and Europe. Together these associations
represent more than 400,000 midwives globally. 
 History
 
• In 2019 ICM celebrates 100 years since the first meeting was
recorded in Belgium in 1919, the year after the first world war
ended.

•  In 1919, a group of European midwives, centred in Antwerp,

Belgium, established the first beginnings of what was to
become the International Confederation of Midwives. By this
time, many countries already had a national association of
midwives; communication among them increased and a series
of regular meetings was launched.
•  the name´International Confederation of
Midwives´ was decided and established in
1955 replacing the former International
Midwives Union. The HQ was established in
London 
 Head Office
•  The name´International Confederation of Midwives
´ was decided and established in 1955 replacing the
former International Midwives Union. The HQ was
established in London 
• The ICM Council decided in 1999 to move the
location of the headquarters office from London to
The Hague, in the Netherlands and it has been  there
since.
 ICM Council

• The Council meets in full every three years immediately before

Congress over four days. Each Midwives Association, irrespective
of size, sends two voting delegates to the Congress. The
maximum strength of Council is 2 x each Midwives Associations.
Delegates debate and discuss policy and update core documents
for example Position Statements, Guidelines, and Midwifery
Standards. They provide strategic direction for ICM. They review
financial statements and reports. The Board for the next
triennium is appointed. Council also hears presentations from
three shortlisted Midwives Associations (countries) and votes on
the Congress country for 6 years hence.
 Triennial Congress 

• ICM Congresses have become the major, regular

focus for midwives’ global business, professional and
scientific meetings. In addition, regional meetings
and conferences are often held in the years between
Congresses. The venue for each Congress is decided
six years ahead, and the event is co-hosted by ICM
and one of its Midwives Associations. Next triennial
Congress is going to be held in 2017 july, in Toronto
Canada.
 Vision and Mission 
Vision
• ICM envisions a world where every childbearing woman has access
to a midwife's care for herself and her newborn. 

Mission
• To strengthen Midwives Associations and to advance 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.
 Main activities
• Twinning -- a formal and substantive collaboration between two organizations.

• Capacity Assessment – the process by which the efficiency and effectiveness of

components of an organization are measured to determine the level of
development.

• Positioning and Profiling midwifery -- an event where the midwives are guided
through the process of establishing their identity, mission, vision, strategy and
resources.

• Leadership development materials – guides to strengthen and support

member leadership and advancement of field.
ICM International Definition of the Midwife 

• A midwife is a person who has successfully completed a

midwifery education programme that is recognised in the
country where it is located and that is based on the ICM
Essential Competencies for Basic Midwifery Practice and the
framework of the ICM Global Standards for Midwifery
Education; who has acquired the requisite qualifications to be
registered and/or legally licensed to practice midwifery and use
the title ‘midwife’; and who demonstrates competency in the
practice of midwifery.
 Key midwifery concepts
that define the unique role of midwives:

• partnership with women to promote self-care and the health of

mothers, infants, and families;
• respect for human dignity and for women as persons with full
human rights;
• advocacy for women so that their voices are heard;
• cultural sensitivity, including working with women and health
care providers to overcome those cultural practices that harm
women and babies;
• a focus on health promotion and disease prevention that views
pregnancy as a normal life event. 
Education, Regulation and Association

• The Three Pillars of a strong midwifery

profession areEducation to provide a highly
competent, qualified workforce,Regulation of
the activities of the professionals, and
organisation of the members in a
strong Association.
Three Pillars
Education
Regulation
Association
 Bill of Rights
• In keeping with other similar documents, ICM believes that
there should be recognition of the following as basic human
rights for women and midwives across the globe; namely that:

Women’s Rights
• 1. Every woman has the right to receive care in childbirth from an
autonomous and competent midwife
• 2. Every woman has a right to be respected as a person of value and worth
• 3. Every woman has a right to security of her body
• 4. Every women has a right to be free from any form of discrimination
 Women’s Rights
• 5. Every woman has a right to up-to-date
health information
• 6. Every woman has a right to participate
actively in decisions about her health care and
to offer informed consent
• 7. Every woman has a right to privacy
• 8. Every woman has a right to choose the
place where she gives birth
 Midwives’ Rights

• 1. Every midwife has the right to a midwifery-specific education

that will enable her to develop and maintain competency as a
midwife
• 2. Every midwife has the right to practice on her own
responsibility within the International Confederation of Midwives
definition and scope of practice of a midwife
• 3. Every midwife has the right to be recognized, respected and
supported as a health professional
• 4. Midwives have the right to access a strong midwifery
association that can contribute to midwifery and maternity policy
and services at a national level.
 Women’s and Midwives’ Rights

• 1. Midwives and women have the right to a system of

regulation that will ensure a safe, competent and
autonomous midwifery workforce for women and their
babies.
• 2. Midwives and women have the right to national midwifery
workforce planning to ensure sufficient midwives to meet
the needs of women and babies
• 3. Women and midwives have the right to be respected by
governments and government institutions for health and
education
• 4. The midwifery profession has the right to be recognized as
a separate and distinct profession .
 Membership Categories
• ICM offers three categories of Membership.
Full Membership
• Full members must meet the 5 criteria for membership and are
entitled to full member rights and conditions. Under this category,
there are two sub-categories:
• Individual Member Association
• Consists of a single midwives association or a midwifery section within
another association that meets the 5 criteria required for
membership.
• Collective Midwives Association
• Consists of a group of midwives from geographically aligned small
countries or entities (e.g. islands) that collectively meet the 5 criteria
required for membership.
 Affiliate Membership
• This category applies to the following type of organizations:
• Regional Midwives Associations whose membership comprises
midwives association from different countries within the same
geographical region (in the world). Regional Midwives
Association may include members and/or nonmembers of ICM.
• Bodies that have the authority to regulate midwifery. The
affiliate membership category exist to achieve two objectives:
• Promote and strengthen harmonization between regional and
global midwifery.
• Develop and strengthen relationship between ICM, midwives
associations and regulatory authorities to advance the
midwifery profession.
 Associate Membership

• This category consists of a midwives association

that do not meet all the criteria and are
therefore ineligible for full membership.
Associate members have restricted membership
rights and obligations.
• There will be no direct application to the
category and qualification will be determined
by the ICM Board.
 Criteria for Becoming a Member

• Associations, not individuals may apply for

membership.
• The term ‘midwife’ or ‘midwives’ in the
criteria below refers to those who meet the
international Definition of the Midwife.
 Full Membership
• In order to apply for ICM Full Membership, the association
must:
• Be a midwifery association or an association of midwives,
nurses and other health professions, provided that a
midwifery section exist with its own chairperson, and
meetings for the conduct of midwifery are held separately
from those of other professions. The association or
midwifery section must primarily consist of midwives
• Has governance processes that demonstrate its single
purpose is to conduct the affairs of midwifery and meets
the requirements of Article 4(ii) of ICM Constitution. This
could take the form of a Constitution
• Be able to pay the membership fees.
• Be in a country that registers midwives and/or
legally licenses to practice
• Be in a country or in countries with recognized
Midwifery Education Programme(s) that
prepares midwives to meet the ICM
International Definition of Midwives.
 Associate Membership

• Associate Membership will be considered by

the ICM Board when the Association does not
meet the 5 criteria for Full Membership.
 Affiliate Membership

• Be a Regional Midwives Association or a body that

regulates midwifery
• For Regional Midwives Association: Has governance
processes that demonstrate its single purpose is to conduct
the affairs of midwifery and meets the requirements of
Article 4(ii) of ICM Constitution. This could take the form of
a Constitution
• For body that regulates midwifery: Has an Act of Parliament
or a legal document that authorizes the body to regulate
the midwifery profession.
Thank you