Welcome to the April 2025 ICN Monthly Update!

We are pleased to offer a summary of our endeavors, achievements, and notable events from the past month. We invite you to explore the latest developments, discoveries, and highlights within our community. Thank you for choosing to stay informed and engaged with us through our Monthly Update!

BBC Caring with courage Season 2

We are proud to announce that season 2 of Caring with Courage series is now out! Produced for ICN by BBC StoryWorks Commercial Productions, the Caring with Courage series showcases the inspiring work and impact of nurses all around the world. By telling the stories of nurses providing life-changing care across diverse roles and settings, the series shines a light on the multifaceted expertise that defines nursing today. Visit the website here.

WHO WHA pre-meeting

ICN Senior Policy Advisor Erica Burton has been in the WHO WHA pre-meeting with civil society, WHO secretariat, and Member States discussing the agenda item on the Health and Care Workforce. During this meeting, she shared the International Nurses Day report and survey with the WHO secretariat, who in turn shared the link for the May 12 launch of the State of the World’s Nursing Report at which Howard Catton is speaking as co-chair.

SECN Alliance Steering Committee

The ICN Alliance of Student and Early Career Nurses (SECN Alliance) has elected its Steering Committee, including its Chair and Vice Chair. Twenty-one candidates, with the support of their NNAs nominated themselves to sit on this Steering Committee and the successful candidates were selected by peer vote. The Steering Committee held its first meeting this month and will host the in-person meeting of the SECN Alliance in Helsinki on 9 June.

7th Global Ministerial Summit on Patient Safety 

Howard was invited to the 7th Global Ministerial Summit on Patient Safety to moderate a panel discussion on Creating Psychologically Safe and Healthy Workplaces  where he underlined the crisis caused by the global lack of investment in nursing and health care. The event was convened by the World Health Organization, and was an opportunity for international experts to engage with Ministers of Health and other top level political decision makers and health-care leaders for effective collaboration between countries on patient safety.

Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response Accord

ICN welcomed the final draft of the WHO Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response Accord, which will act as an important framework for better managing future pandemics. The draft agreement will be presented for consideration at the upcoming World Health Assembly in May. Read more about the draft accord here and ICN’s comments here.

Brazilian Network of Nursing and Patient Safety (REBRAENSP)

Our President sent a recorded presentation to the IV International Conference of the Brazilian Network of Nursing and Patient Safety on the role of nursing in ensuring access to quality and safe health care. The Conference was held 8-10 April 2025 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

All Ireland Integrated Nursing Care Festival (Ireland)

Howard Catton participated virtually in the All-Ireland Integrated Nursing Care Festival held on 9 April and supported by INMO. He offered a global perspective on the structural challenges in health care, emphasizing the pivotal role of nursing in addressing these issues. He also discussed the advancement of nursing practice roles and how these innovations are being implemented on an international scale.

ICCHNR International Conference 2025

On 17 April, Howard Catton delivered a keynote address at the International Collaboration for Community Health Nursing Research (ICCHNR) International Conference 2025. Hosted at the University of London in partnership with the Queen’s Nursing Institute (QNI), the conference centred on the theme The Race to Address Health Inequalities by 2030: Community Nursing in the Lead and brought together renowned community nurse researchers to discuss critical global health challenges and the pivotal role of community nursing.

EFN 120th General Assembly

The CEO attended the EFN 120th General Assembly held in Brussels 10-11 April, where he had the opportunity to share updates on ICN activities with European colleagues. The event also provided a platform for discussions on ongoing developments and essential advocacy efforts.

Anadolu Ajansi Interview

Speaking in an interview with Turkish news agency Anadolu Ajansi, ICN CEO Howard Catton said that from Gaza to Sudan to Ukraine, International Humanitarian Laws are being ignored, and has warned that the deliberate targeting of health care workers and facilities marks a disturbing and escalating assault on humanitarian norms.

UHC 2030 and UNITE Parliamentarians Network for Global Health

President Pamela Cipriano (Co-chair of the UHC2030 Steering Committee) moderated a high-level roundtable, Political Leadership for Financial Protection: Access for All in the Face of the Health Financing Emergency, on the sidelines of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund meetings in Washington, DC, on 22 April. Financing experts and Parliamentarians presented successful health financing reforms for UHC and recommended additional actions that can enable financial protection in uncertain times.

Condolences

ICN sent condolences to the Catholic Church on the passing of His Holiness Pope Francis who was a vocal supporter of nurses.  Read more here.

We also sent condolences to the friends and family of Winifred Logan, a pioneering nurse theorist, educator and leader, and former ICN Executive Secretary. Read more here.

ICN sent condolences and messages of support to the Myanmar Nurse and Midwife Association and the Nurses Association of Thailand following the devastating earthquakes which affected both countries.

ICN Congress

The Right Honourable Helen Clark, former Prime Minister of New Zealand and former administrator of UNDP, will be the keynote speaker for the Plenary Session Inspiring Leaders on 10 June at 9:00!  Learn more about our inspiring speakers and exciting programme topics here!

Don’t forget to register for our Masterclasses!  These specialized sessions are led by nursing experts from various sectors, each focusing on a specific topic to deepen knowledge and develop practical skills. They are highly interactive or immersive, incorporating elements such as simulations and advanced technology for an engaging learning experience. Click here to learn more!

Professional Visits

Professional visits provide a great opportunity to explore some of Helsinki’s renowned education, hospitals, and health care facilities. Professional visits are available to ICN 2025 Congress participants for an additional fee of EUR 60.00 per visit and will be held on 14 June.  Most of the venues for professional visits are easily accessible by public transport. For the sites that are not, organized transport will be available. Click here for more information

International Nurses Day report

See below for information on the launch of the IND report, Our Nurses. Our Future. Caring for Nurses Strengthens Economies, and the survey of NNA presidents, Assessing the Global Sustainability of the Nursing Workforce: A Survey of National Nurses' Association Presidents.

Call for International Journals: The Nursing Journal Hall of Fame

The International Academy of Nursing Editors (INANE) is building its nursing journal Hall of Fame  to recognize journals with 50 or more years of sustained excellence in publication. Journals are evaluated and inducted into the Hall of Fame at the annual meeting of INANE. Peer reviewed  nursing journals in English or with an abstract in English that have been published for 50 years or more are eligible for consideration.  For more information or to submit your journal, contact Leslie Nicoll, [email protected] and include some history about the journal and a URL for the journal website.

Working Nurse interview with Pamela Cipriano

In an interview with Working Nurse magazine, ICN’s President Dr Pamela Cipriano highlighted reports ICN has received from NNAs and nursing leaders detailing severe health impacts of USAID cuts, and called on US leaders to restore humanitarian and health commitments for the good and health of all. Read more here. 

World Health Day, 7 April

ICN strongly supported the 2025 World Health Day focus on maternal and newborn health, emphasizing the urgent need for increased recognition and investment in nursing as the path to effective and accessible care for all women and children. Read more here.

International Nurses Day report and webinar

We launched our IND report one month in advance of IND and held a webinar to underscore the critical role a healthy nursing workforce plays in strengthening economies, improving health systems, and ensuring better outcomes for communities worldwide. You can read the full IND report, Our Nurses. Our Future. Caring for Nurses Strengthens Economies, here, and download the supporting survey of NNA presidents carried out by the Rosemary Bryant AO Research Centre, Assessing the Global Sustainability of the Nursing Workforce: A Survey of National Nurses' Association Presidents.

The IND webinar brought together 600 participants from more than 100 countries, showing ICN’s true global reach and influence. Initial media pick up on the IND2025 report and survey include in-depth articles from Health Policy Watch, Nursing Times and Nursing in Practice. You can watch a recording of the webinar here.

A reminder that the second State of the World’s Nursing Report will be launched on International Nurses Day, 12 May.