Vision Statement
THE VISION FOR WOMEN AND THEIR HEALTH
ICM envisions a world where:
- women are respected and treated as persons in their own
right in all societies
- Women stand as equal partners with men in the world order
women are recognised as crucial to the health of any nation
- Women and their families are part of a health care system
with high quality care and easy access when needed
- Women have the right to choose from among safe options
for care throughout their lives, including high quality, state-of the-art
care from competent providers who truly care about the woman and her
health
- Women are educated and empowered to delight in a strong
sense of self, to trust their bodies, to plan their pregnancies, and
to make wise choices in their health care arena
- Women experience a reasonable standard of living, including
a clean and safe environment, healthy food, and a reasonable place to
live
- No woman has to fear for her life or the life of her
baby when she is pregnant
- Women believe that birth is normal and prefer to avoid
unnecessary intervention
THE VISION FOR THE FUTURE OF MIDWIFERY
ICM envisions the following about the future of midwifery
in the world:
- Midwives provide care in all settings and for all women
who need midwifery care
- Midwives are well-qualified and remain competent and
caring throughout their careers
- Midwives are autonomous health care providers who value
team work in providing the total needs of women and their families
- Midwives are recognised for their activities of self-governance,
including standards of practice, core competencies, codes of ethics,
ongoing quality assessment and valid credentialling systems
- Midwifery education is available through a variety of
routes and based on core competencies related to the needs of the country/area
where the midwife is prepared
- Midwives are, and have to stay, responsible for their
own training and education
- All qualified midwives are able to practice in keeping
with their educational preparation and experience
- Midwives are recognised as the experts in the care of
childbearing women and linchpins in any Safe Motherhood effort
- Midwives play a key role in determining the future of
health care, including community-based primary health care for women
and families
- Midwives are an integral part of any regulatory agency
assigning the task of promulgating and enforcing rules and regulations
governing midwifery practice
- Midwives are involved in research and policy work that
validates and promotes midwifery care to the public
- Midwives believe that menstruation, pregnancy, birth
and menopause are normal life events and rarely require medical intervention
- Midwives work with women to design a women-responsive
health care system
Adopted by the International Confederation of Midwives at
Council May 1996, Oslo, Norway
Reinforced by the International Council in May 1999, Manila, the Philippines
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