Welcome to the October 2024 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!

World Patients Alliance webinar and conference

On 3 October, Howard spoke at the WPA webinar titled Heart of Healthcare: Celebrating Our Nurses, in which he had the opportunity to talk about the global nursing shortage and the retention strategies to address this issue.  He also virtually joined the panel discussion on” Patient-Centred Care: Supporting those who care for us” at the 2nd World Patients Conference, held in Cape Town on 19 and 20 October.

WEF Annual Meeting of the Global Future Councils 2024

Howard attended the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting of the Global Future Councils 2024 held in Dubai on 15-17 October. He also participated in the “We the UAE Vision 2031” Strategic Intelligence Council, serving as a platform for discussions focusing on key strategic themes for the future of the UAE.

WHO Mental Health Forum

Hoi Shan Fokeladeh, ICN senior policy advisor, and Espen Gade Rolland, ICN's expert on mental health nursing, represented ICN at the WHO Mental Health Forum on 9-10 October at WHO headquarters. They advocated for ICN's new report on the global mental health nursing workforce entitled Time to Prioritize and Invest in Mental Health and Wellbeing and took the opportunity to galvanize new ideas and forge stronger partnerships on this crucial topic.

Acute Care Action Network

Hoi Shan Fokeladeh represented ICN at the first convening of the Acute Care Action Network (ACAN) at WHO HQ, along with nursing colleagues around the world to advocate for nurses’ crucial role in emergency and acute care. The working group aimed to identify mechanisms for coordinated action to bring proven interventions to scale, to strengthen collaboration among stakeholders, to identify opportunities for innovation in acute care delivery and to enhance resource mobilization.

WHO Regional Committee Meetings

The Qatari Nursing Association (QNA) attended the 71st session of the WHO Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean in Doha from 14–17 October 2024. ICN and QNA submitted two interventions on Update on emergencies in the Eastern Mediterranean Region and Regional action plan for mental health and psychosocial support in emergencies, including substance use (2024–2030).

The Danish Nurses' Organization (DNO) attended the 74th session of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe in Copenhagen from 29-31 October. ICN submitted four statements on Item 9 Framework for resilient and sustainable health systems in the WHO European Region 2025-2030; Item 10 Health emergency preparedness, response and resilience in the WHO European Region 2024–2029: a new regional strategy and action plan (Preparedness 2.0); Item 11 Emergency Medical Teams Regional Action Plan 2024-2030; and Item 12 Harnessing innovation for public health in the WHO European Region 2025-2030 – Preparing for a new strategy

The ODENNA NAMI mentorship initiative continues to progress, with 15 of the 23 ODENNA NNAs now matched with mentors. Nine teams are actively working on their projects, drawing on mentor support in areas such as policy development and healthcare training. The remaining mentorships will kick off in November. Mentors have been impressed by the dedication and growth of their mentees, with one commenting on the “rewarding collaboration and shared learning” that enriches both sides. 

To maintain and accelerate this momentum of growth and improvement, ODENNA will soon launch additional training webinars to strengthen the NNAs’ skills in organizational development. ICN’s ODENNA programme has awarded its first funding prizes to four participating NNAs in Somaliland, Tanzania, Rwanda and Ghana following intense training and a rigorous competition during May and June 2024. Read more here.

Interested in becoming a mentor? We especially welcome French-speaking NNAs — please reach out to Jody Temple White at [email protected] for more details. 

LFC Suriname

The Council for Nursing in Suriname, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and EFS College, recently provided a group of 30 nurses from various health care institutions with the opportunity to participate in the LFC programme, which began on 14 October. This initiative aims to empower nursing professionals and enhance leadership skills within the health care sector.

In light of recent hostilities impacting nurses and health services in the Middle East, Ukraine, and other countries, the #NursesForPeace campaign stands in solidarity with healthcare workers risking their lives to care for patients and on calls governments and international bodies to safeguard health care workers and patients’ lives and health infrastructure and ensure accountability for violations.  

This month, #NursesforPeace provided financial support to the Lebanese and Palestinian National Nursing Associations to assist them in delivering first aid relief and essential care in response to the deepening crisis in the Middle East, and to help secure urgently needed medical and essential supplies for nurses working in these extremely challenging and dangerous conditions. ICN CEO Howard Catton spoke to the Order’s President Abir Kurdi Alame, who described the devastating situation in the country and how nurses are being affected. Watch the conversation here, and read more here.

On the first anniversary of the 7 October attack on Israel, ICN condemned all violence and reiterated its call for the immediate restoration of peace, the release of the remaining hostages and the start of negotiations, which are the only way to secure a situation in which the rebuilding of the region can commence. Read more here.

You can support ICN’s #NursesforPeace Campaign by donating here. 

ICN was delighted to welcome 31 scholars to Geneva for Module 2 of the GNLI. Hosted at the Château de Bossey, this intensive programme engaged senior nurse leaders in dynamic learning and leadership development, focusing on health policy, the Sustainable Development Goals, and strategies for influencing global health. The week included sessions led by esteemed GNLI Programme Directors, Diana Mason and Patsy Yates, along with insights from global leaders, including ICN President Pamela Cipriano, WHO officials, and a visit to WHO headquarters.

Scholars participated in group exercises, presentations, and interactive discussions, all with the purpose of equipping them with the skills needed to address health disparities and advance nursing leadership worldwide. This year’s programme underscores ICN’s commitment to empowering nurse leaders to shape policies that support health equity and sustainable healthcare systems across the globe.

To learn more about this week’s agenda, you can follow ICN on LinkedIn and Twitter.

You can also contact [email protected].

The strategic refresh of the International Classification for Nursing Practice (ICNP) remains on course, as ICN and SNOMED continue to partner on refining and advancing the initiative.  

Our partnership focus on ensuring a strong and future-oriented framework that will support nursing practice and address broader health system needs continues to build. This ongoing collaboration is vital to shaping the future of ICNP, and we are committed to keeping you informed of meaningful outcomes as the process advances. 

Girl Child Education Fund 

In October, ICN proudly celebrated United Nations International Day of the Girl Child, shining a spotlight on the power of education through Girl Child Education Fund programme. This year’s theme, Girls Vision for the Future,’ strongly resonated with ICN’s commitment to supporting orphaned daughters of nurses in Eswatini, Kenya, Uganda, and Zambia. The girls, whose education is supported by GCEF, shared their inspiring artwork and heartfelt messages, expressing their dreams of becoming nurses, teachers, doctors, and leaders who will contribute to a healthier and more peaceful world. By showcasing their creativity and aspirations, ICN aims to raise awareness about the importance of girls’ education and the life-changing impact it has.  

Since 2005, GCEF has empowered over 420 girls, with 78 currently benefiting from this support.  

You can read more about our work and impact in the GCEF Activity Report 2023, available on our website. 

Humanitarian work

Last month, our humanitarian team conducted a context analysis for each country where ICN has an NNA, identifying 55 NNAs in regions facing humanitarian crises. This month, we connected with NNAs in these countries, introducing our strategic partnership with Direct Relief and gathering insights from nurse leaders on care delivery challenges, particularly in supply chain management.

To date, we have met with 14 NNAs. These meetings revealed multiple needs where we can set realistic, actionable goals. For instance, the Turkish NNA highlighted the lack of access to medication for NCDs among migrant worker families from the eastern region. The South Sudan NNA discussed the situation at the country’s only children’s hospital, where basic medications are in such short supply that children often go untreated, impacting mortality rates. The Jordanian NNA expressed a need to prepare their health system to receive amputees and burn victims from Gaza into rehabilitation services once borders open. The NNA in Mauritius described a large unofficial IDP camp relying on a single nurse-led MoH health centre with poor medication supply and no external support. The Somaliland Nursing and Midwifery Association spoke about the lack of basic equipment in rural health centres and the challenges of treating a nomadic population affected by drought.

Next, we will gather further insights from other NNAs. We have distributed a survey on essential medication availability, and responses are starting to come in, providing quantitative data to complement our qualitative insights. Ultimately, we will compile this information into a comprehensive document with a four-point analysis for each country: context analysis, qualitative insights, quantitative data on essential medication supply, and actionable project proposals.

We were also pleased to meet with Direct Relief’s CEO, Thomas Tighe, in Geneva. He was excited about our work and open to explore further partnership opportunities in ICN’s humanitarian and nursing leadership  initiatives.

ICN Congress 2025

Registration for the ICN  2025 Congress, the world’s largest international gathering of nurses, is now open! ICN 2025 will be held 9-13 June 2025 at the Messukeskus Expo & Convention Center in Helsinki, Finland in partnership with the Finnish Nurses Association (FNA). The early-bird discount price for registration closes on 28 February 2025. Read more here.

ICN’s 125th anniversary, Bucharest

ICN celebrated its 125th anniversary at a special event held in Bucharest, Romania hosted by the Order of Nurses, Midwives, and Medical Assistants of Romania. The event culminated in the ICN 125th Anniversary Declaration on the Future of Nursing: Bucharest which calls on government to: increase smarter public investment in nursing; make efforts to achieve the SDGs and UHC; address global health challenges and the role of nurses in humanitarian disasters; focus on strategic and sustainable workforce planning for the future; improve the working environment and expand nurses’ scope of practice; expand nursing leadership in health care; and harness new technologies and digital health.

With the theme “Nursing Legacy: ICN at 125 – celebrating, recognizing and shaping our collective future”, the celebratory conference boasted high level governmental speakers as well as experts from WHO and national nursing associations around the world.  Her Royal Highness Princess Muna Al-Hussein of Jordan was the guest of honour and named as ICN’s Global Ambassador for her six decades of advocacy for and support of nurses.

Read our press release here.

WHPA Webinar: Tackling AMR in a Changing World

Register now to join our WHPA webinar on Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) on 18 November at 14:00 CET in which expert speakers from the fields of dentistry, nursing, and medicine as they review the commitments made by world leaders at the recent HLM and discuss the implications for countries worldwide. Learn about the financial and operational challenges in implementing effective AMR strategies and how public health messaging needs to change to better promote antimicrobial stewardship. The webinar is kindly being hosted by FIP Digital Events and is part of World AMR Awareness Week #WAAW24.

Subscribe to the WHPA newsletter

International Nurses Day 2025 

Nurses are the backbone of health care, providing essential care to patients across the globe. Yet, their own health and wellbeing often lag behind those of the general population. For IND 2025, we are focusing on the health and wellbeing of nurses, highlighting how it affects not only the economy and healthcare systems but also the broader community. This year’s theme, Our Nurses. Our Future. Caring for nurses strengthens economies, aims to shed light on the challenges nurses face, advocate for systemic change, and improve the overall health of the nursing workforce.

ICN has commissioned C3 Collaborating for Health to develop resources for IND 2025, with a report that explores nurses' health and wellbeing and demonstrates how supporting the nursing workforce can yield significant economic benefits. Nurses face many well-documented challenges, including mental health issues, obesity, infectious and non-communicable diseases (NCDs), workplace violence, moral distress, musculoskeletal injuries, and sleep disorders.

We are eager to hear about initiatives that are making a difference! We invite you to share your insights by completing this survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CMHYPQZ by 15 November.

Additionally, we are calling on all members and partners to submit Case Studies for our IND 2025 report, showcasing efforts to improve the health and wellbeing of nurses and their impact on economies. Please submit your case studies, along with photos, via the following form: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/INDCaseStudy by 29 November.

Thank you for your valuable contributions in supporting this important initiative!

Springer Advanced Practice Nursing series

We are delighted to inform our members that the second book in the Springer Advanced Practice Nursing series in French is now available. Introduction à la pratique avancée infirmière was originally published in English as Introduction to Advanced Nursing Practice, authored by Madrean Schober.  You can obtain a 65% discount on purchase by using the code “INF” on the book webpage.

UHC Day

On 3 October, UHC2030 and the Coalition of Partnerships for UHC and Global Health launched the 2024 UHC Day campaign. Dr Cipriano opened a webinar focused on the UHC Day 2024 theme, “Health: It’s on the government”, with a focus on how reducing financial barriers to health services helps protect people from impoverishing health costs and also generates substantial economic and social benefits. 

Mental Health Day

On World Mental Health Day, 10 October, ICN joined United for Global Mental Health, Africa CDC, and the International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations (IFMSA) to call for more global attention on the mental health needs of health workers worldwide. The new campaign seeks to amplify the voices of frontline health professionals and future health professionals to raise awareness about the factors that make health workers particularly vulnerable to mental ill-health. Read more here and here.

International Day of the Girl Child

On 11 October, International Day of the Girl Child, ICN highlighted its Girl Child Education Fund invited some of the girls whose schooling is being supported by the GCEF to depict their hopes for the future. Read more here.

Global Ethics Day

As founding members of the International Consensus Framework for Ethical Collaboration, ICN co-authored an op-ed in Health Policy Watch with several leading international health organization partners to mark the 10th anniversary of the Framework on Global Ethics Day, 16 October 2024. The op-ed highlighted the Framework's success in promoting ethical cooperation between patients, healthcare professionals and industry, evident in the adoption of national-level frameworks across multiple countries.