.png)
Kickoff of the Next Phase of the PUSH Campaign
The evidence for the benefits midwives provide women, gender diverse people and girls is clear. Yet, too many people, including policymakers, don’t know about the potential midwives have to transform the lives, health and rights of women and communities.
In 2020, the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) convened workshops with midwives’ associations, funders, partners, and global advocacy experts to tackle this challenge. These discussions highlighted the need for a global push to educate the public about the work midwives do, and rally feminist movements around the life and rights enhancing potential of midwives.
The PUSH Campaign was officially launched ICM’s 2021 Triennial Congress focusing on mobilising stakeholders and creating issue salience.
Women around the world are calling for healthcare that prioritises respect, dignity, consent, and holistic care – midwives are key to making that a reality. The next phase of PUSH aims to strengthen the movement for woman-centred care (WCC) and reaffirming the essential role midwives play in achieving it.
Midwives do more than improve health outcomes – they champion choice, autonomy, and respectful care. Over the next two years, PUSH will set clear goals, drive advocacy impact, and build stronger partnerships to make WCC a global priority.
At its core, PUSH is about action. It’s about coming together to PUSH for rights, PUSH for women, and PUSH for midwives.
PUSH is kicking off its next phase at the 69th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69) in New York, the world’s largest gathering of gender equality advocates. This kickoff will feature two key events: a high-level panel discussion and reception fn International Women’s Day and a two-week photo exhibit during CSW at the United Nations Headquarters.
On International Women’s Day, Saturday, 08 March 2025, from 6 to 9 PM EST, PUSH will host its kickoff event in New York. The high level panel will explore why midwives matter now more than ever and why woman-centred care is a shared responsibility. We’re also unveiling a new campaign strategy and website designed to drive action and impact.
Join us in person or online for a high-level panel discussion, interactive campaign mobilisation, and networking opportunities with fellow advocates. After registering, you will receive an email with the exact location or the livestream link to join virtually. Register now!
To celebrate the kickoff of PUSH 2.0, we are also co-hosting a two-week photo exhibit at the United Nations Headquarters in New York with the Permanent Mission of Croatia. This exhibit will feature 25 powerful images of midwives working across their full scope of practice, highlighting their strength and impact as essential providers of sexual, reproductive, maternal, newborn and adolescent health and their critical role in advancing woman-centred care. This exhibit will call on global policymakers, UN partners, and civil society leaders to take action by joining the PUSH campaign and committing to advancing woman-centred care in their own countries and communities.
Can’t make it to New York? Follow PUSH on Instagram to see highlights from the exhibit and celebrate midwives with us.
