Welcome to the March 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!

SECN Alliance

ICN’s Alliance of Student and Early Career Nurses (SECN Alliance) met for the first time in March, attended by more than 50 SECN Alliance representatives from countries in all six WHO regions. Read the full story here.

Global Nursing Workforce Centre

TruMerit™ (formerly CGFNS International) and ICN announced the launch of a new collaborative, the Global Nursing Workforce Centre which will serve as a clearinghouse for research, data, and policy solutions on the world’s nursing workforce to aggregate and analyze this knowledge and highlight gaps. Read more about this new Centre here.

Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69)

ICN participated in critical discussions on gender equity and women’s health at the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69) which was held in New York, 10–21 March. This critical UN summit marked the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, a milestone global agenda for the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls.

ICN's delegation to CSW69 was led by Dr Pamela Cipriano, supported by CEO Howard Catton, and included UN Representative Holly Shaw and ICN’s Policy Analyst Dr Gill Adynski, who advocated for investment in nursing in order to both strengthen equality and women’s leadership in the health care workforce and to improve women’s health outcomes worldwide. Read more here.

Impact of USAID funding cuts

ICN has collected evidence from NNAs and health care organizations around the world that demonstrate severe impacts of the funding withdrawal on nurse-led programmes on critical issues including maternal health, HIV/AIDS care, and TB, leprosy, malaria, and other infectious disease prevention in vulnerable countries. ICN warned that that the cuts are not only threatening immediate health care delivery but also long-term health security and emergency preparedness, and called on the US and international health community to take decisive action to support nursing and health care. Read the full story here.

Air pollution and health

The World Health Professions Alliance (WHPA) called for urgent action for clean air at the WHO’s 2nd global conference on air pollution and health, 25-27 March. ICN, WMA and other partners also organized and signed the conference’s Call to Action, demanding bold action from governments, the private sector and civil society to clean the air for all by making a fair and just transition to clean energy. Read more here.

President’s closing keynote as IntNSA conference

ICN President Dr Pamela Cipriano delivered the closing keynote speech at the International Nurses Society on Addictions annual conference in Orlando, Florida, on 14 March. Dr Cipriano discussed the need for improved addiction care and nurse leadership in substance abuse treatment and harm reduction initiatives, and called on nurses and health leaders to advocate for effective and inclusive addiction care in order to strengthen public health and health security. IntNSA is an ICN Specialist Affiliate.

Perspectives and Challenges in Global Health

Mr Catton also presented an address on Perspectives and Challenges in Global Health at the University of Pennsylvania on 20 March, emphasizing the importance of nursing education and noting that recent US funding withdrawal decisions are not just impacting nurses overseas but also threatening nursing research and education at home in the US. The event was organized by Penn Nursing’s Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research and Perry World House

Over the past month, ODENNA teams completed their Organizational Assessments—an important milestone that provides visibility to the progress made by each NNA throughout the ODENNA project. This information will help us better understand the growth and development achieved by individual NNAs and guide next steps in our programme support.

Looking ahead, we will collect additional feedback from both ODENNA participants and mentors to gain insight into how we can continue to strengthen the ODENNA program and provide maximum value and benefits to participants. We will also be gathering success stories to showcase at Congress. Finally, a special thank you to the NNAs who responded to our request for input on the impact of the USAID funding loss, your contributions are critical. Read more on this important issue here.

The GNLI 2025 cohort has been selected! This year, we received an overwhelming number of applications from highly qualified nursing leaders worldwide. After a rigorous review process, 31 scholars from 27 countries have been chosen to participate in this prestigious programme. Our selection seeks to ensure a diverse and balanced representation across regions, prioritizing candidates with strong leadership and policy experience. We look forward to welcoming this exceptional group of senior nurses as they embark on their GNLI journey to drive real change in global health policy and nursing leadership.

In parallel, we are actively preparing for the ICN Congress 2025 in Helsinki, where GNLI will be prominently featured. From showcasing the impact of our scholars on a global scale, to hosting regional project presentations, and a dedicated leadership workshop, we are creating opportunities for engagement, learning, and collaboration. We will also celebrate the achievements of GNLI alumni with the first-ever GNLI Awards ceremony. 

Nurse Leadership for Crisis Response and Recovery (NLCRR)

Exciting progress is underway with the NLCRR project! We have made significant strides in preparing the hybrid training model to equip 20-25 mid-career and senior nurses in Ukraine with leadership skills to manage crises and drive health care transformation. The programme will include online learning, an in-person workshop, and post-training mastermind groups to strengthen resilience, build peer networks, and support trauma recovery. We are excited to announce more details closer to Congress about the further steps we have taken.

Humanitarian & Crisis Relief

In March, the Sudan Nurses Organization (SNO) continued to face significant challenges due to ongoing conflict and recent surge in cholera cases in White Nile state. The SNO has been proactive in establishing Emergency Response Teams in various locations across Sudan. These teams are crucial in training community health workers and coordinating with the Ministry of Health to address public health needs. The SNO met with our partner organization Direct Relief in March to discuss the potential areas where Direct Relief could support the cholera response.

The Ethiopian Nurses Association (ENA) has been working closely with Direct Relief to enhance health care delivery in regions affected by conflict and shortages of medical supplies. The ENA is addressing critical shortages of pain medication, antibiotics, and pediatric medications, and exploring the possibility of flying shipments directly into the region to overcome logistical challenges. The partnership with Direct Relief is expected to streamline the supply chain and ensure that donated medications reach those most in need.

Mozambique National Association of Nurses (ANEMO)is addressing severe challenges faced by nurses in the wake of Cyclones Chido and Jude. The association is working alongside the Ministry of Health to provide essential medical aid and support, and efforts are underway to improve working conditions for nurses. ANEMO is also advocating for better support from the Ministry of Health and exploring collaborations with humanitarian organizations like Direct Relief to supply essential medications to affected hospitals. The association is also focusing on strengthening partnerships with humanitarian organizations through fundraising campaigns and raising awareness among leaders.

ICN Congress, Helsinki

We are excited to have over 5’800 participants registered for the Congress!  There is so much on offer! Check out the Congress programme here, and our Masterclasses here!  And don’t forget the wide range of professional visits you can join too!

We are delighted to have the incredible support of the Finnish Nursing Education Foundation (SHKS) as a Platinum Sponsor for our Congress. We would also like to thank our Silver Sponsors: Johnson & Johnson, Sanofi, and Edith Cowan University. If you would like to sponsor the Congress, please contact Pilar Millan for more information.

International Women’s Day

On 8 March, we joined in the celebrations of International Women’s Day, raising concerns about the halting of progress on women’s rights and the backlash against gender equality, revealed in a UN report on  Women's Rights in Review 30 Years After Beijing report. Read more here.

World Adherence Day

World Adherence Day’s inaugural launch was on 27 March 2025. This day is dedicated to raising awareness about the importance of medication adherence and its impact on health outcomes. ICN fully supports this initiative and is committed to promoting adherence to improve patient care and well-being. Read more about World Adherence Day here!

International Nurses Day 2025

Join us on 16 April for a webinar on IND!

ICN is hosting a special webinar on the International Nurses Day theme, Our Nurses. Our Future. Caring for nurses strengthens economies. Our IND report, which will be launched the same day, will underscore the critical role a healthy nursing workforce plays in strengthening economies, improving health systems, and ensuring better outcomes for communities worldwide. It will focus on the challenges facing nurses, such as mental and physical health issues, working conditions, and violence against health workers, and demonstrate how caring for nurses makes economic sense, looking at the cost of turn-over and the nursing shortage and providing examples of successful strategies.

ICN will be releasing the IND report a month early this year, in advance of the State of the World’s Nursing (SOWN) report, which will be released on 12 May. The IND report and the SOWN report are aligned on the importance of nurses’ wellbeing. The IND logo and posters are available here.