Our Nurses. Our Future. - International Nurses Day 2023 theme announced

The International Council of Nurses (ICN) today announced the theme for International Nurses Day (IND) 2023: Our Nurses. Our Future. and launched its new IND logo.

ICN President, Dr Pamela Cipriano explained the theme:

“Our Nurses. Our Future. sets out what ICN wants for nursing in the future in order to address the global health challenges and improve global health for all. We need to learn from the lessons of the pandemic and translate these into actions for the future that ensure nurses are protected, respected and valued.

With the release of the State of the World’s Nursing report, the Global Strategic Directions for Nursing & Midwifery, the Sustain and Retain in 2022 and Beyond and many other important publications, ICN and other organisations have shown the evidence for change and called for action and investments in nursing. It is now time to look to the future and demonstrate what these investments will mean for nursing and healthcare. The Our Nurses. Our Future. campaign will shine the light on nurses and on a brighter future, moving nurses from invisible to invaluable in the eyes of policy makers, the public, and all those who make decisions affecting the delivery and financing of health care.

As well as learning lessons to support nurses, the campaign will also look at how we must strengthen our health systems to address growing global health demands. It will capture key actions that ICN believes are essential to address both the profession and health systems and which are, of course, mutually beneficial and reinforcing. Together our future depends on every nurse, every voice, to not only be on the front lines of care, but also be on the front lines of change.”

International Nurses Day (IND) is celebrated around the world on 12 May, the anniversary of Florence Nightingale's birth. ICN commemorates this important day each year with the production and distribution of the IND resources and evidence. ICN and its national nursing associations members across the world look forward to celebrating nurses and working together to chart the future direction of nursing in order to meet the needs of the new normal as well as the Sustainable Development Goals, Universal Health Coverage, and Health for All.

Download the press release here