International Confederation of Midwives

The International Confederation of Midwives, or ICM, supports and advises associations of midwives. The ICM is an accredited non-governmental organization and works closely with the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, UNFPA, and other organisations worldwide to achieve common goals in the care of mothers and children. The ICM has an official relationship with the United Nations and ICM representatives are appointed to the UN regional offices.

History
In 1919, a group of European midwives, centrerd in Antwerp, Belgium, established the 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.

Goals of the ICM
The ICM lists the following as its goals:
 * To develop the role of the midwive as a health practitioner, advancing the provision of maternity care, and so improve the standard of care provided to mothers, babies and the family throughout the world.


 * To support and advise associations of midwives in liaison with their governments, and will represent midwifery to international bodies and agencies in meetings, consultations, and in direct relationships with heads or governing bodies of such organisations.


 * To advance globally the position of the midwife and the value of midwifery, and to achieve a reduction in rates of maternal and neonatal mortality and morbidity.

Main activities of the confederation:

 * Congresses. The International Triennial Congresses have been a focus for members of the ICM since its foundation. Here midwives gather from all over the world to share knowledge, ideas and experience. The series of such meetings has been uninterrupted following the World Congress of Midwives in 1954. The next Triennial congress will be held in Glasgow in 2008.


 * Safe motherhood workshops. In 1987, the WHO and other agencies, launched the Safe Motherhood Intitiative. The Confederation has both supported and contributed to these global efforts in Safe Motherhood, in working towards the goals of reducing by one-half the 600,000 deaths each year of women in childbirth. The ICM educates and supports midwives who live and work in those countries where most maternal deaths occur by organising workshops which focus on an issue relevant to maternal mortality.


 * Young midwifery leadship - (YML). The ICM supports midwives in developing leadership skills, through meetings and workshop sessions, and in constructing educational curricula relevant to the local situations.