International Council of Nurses releases posters, digital promotional tools for International Nurses Day, 12 May 2022

Four weeks until #IND2022!

In preparation for International Nurses Day on 12 May, the International Council of Nurses (ICN) today released three posters and a package of promotional tools to help nurses around the world celebrate this special day.

With the theme Nurses: A Voice to Lead – Invest in nursing and respect rights to secure global health, IND2022 will focus on the need to protect, support and invest in the nursing profession to strengthen health systems around the world.

Nurses continue to be challenged by the COVID-19 pandemic; yet far from backing down in the face of these challenges, they have stood up to them with incredible strength and dedication despite difficult and even life-threatening working conditions. The daily care nurses provide in all settings is now receiving more recognition and accolades from the public, yet little in the way of serious investment from governments and health systems.

It is now time for governments and health systems to invest in nursing education, address the growing nursing shortage, provide positive practice environments and adequate remuneration, ensure gender equity and involve nurses in decision making at all levels in all aspects of health and healthcare.

Nursing is the solution to address the world’s growing health care needs. Investment in the nursing workforce means we can restore, transform and strengthen health systems to ensure health equity. By investing in nursing and respecting rights we can build a stronger, more resilient, competent and satisfied nursing workforce to meet the challenges ahead.

The IND logo, posters, social media banners, a virtual background, and Facebook frame and other digital tools to promote #IND2022 on social media can be downloaded from the ICN website. The annual IND toolkit will be released on 12 May, when ICN will also hold a webinar to discuss the report. ICN will also publish an interactive digital map with short videos from each of the ICN Board members discussing a regional priority and how the IND toolkit can strengthen nursing and national nursing associations in every region across the world.

International Nurses Day is celebrated around the world every 12 May, the anniversary of Florence Nightingale's birth. ICN commemorates this important day each year with the production and distribution of the International Nurses' Day (IND) resources and evidence.

Download the press release here