Midwives
A Vital Climate Solution
International Day of the Midwife Advocacy Toolkit and Resources Pack
Climate change poses the greatest health challenge of our era, manifesting in increased heatwaves and natural disasters that disproportionately affect women and babies. We recognise that midwives are a vital solution in adapting health systems to climate change, and lowering carbon emissions overall. Midwives deliver safe and environmentally sustainable health services, help communities adapt to climate change and are first responders during climate disasters. For this reason, the theme for this year’s International Day of the Midwife (IDM), is Midwives: A Vital Climate Solution.
It’s the time of the year when we celebrate the work of midwives everywhere. IDM is a day of celebration, but also of highlighting how important the work of midwives is globally. This year, we are shining a light on the role midwives play in addressing the greatest health challenge of our time – climate change. #IDM2024 is both a celebration and a call to action for our planet and for midwifery.
As midwives, we might not always see ourselves as climate champions, but the evidence is clear. Continuity of midwife care enhances health outcomes, and contributes to environmental sustainability and adaptability by reducing the carbon footprint of health services and making them more climate resilient. As midwives, we also play a crucial role in responding to the climate crisis, providing essential care in times of climate-related disasters.
ICM represents over 140 midwives’ associations (MAs) across more than 120 countries. From parades to pop-up midwifery clinics, many of our associations host their own IDM celebrations and we’re excited to provide our community with a platform to promote their fantastic events and initiatives. If you’re an ICM midwives’ association, fill out this form to share your IDM event here.
Becoming a member association of the International Confederation of Midwives entitles you to a long list of exclusive benefits. These benefits focus on professional development, networking, leadership opportunities, association support and funding, and much more.
Find out how to take advantage of these diverse benefits to enhance the knowledge of your Association and your members, advance the midwifery profession, and champion evidence in public policy.
Join us to advocate for midwives as a vital climate solution
We have prepared a set of social media messages and graphics to support our collective advocacy and celebrate the role of midwives as a vital climate solution.
Copy our messages, download our graphics, and share before, during, and after 05 May 2024. You can also download all the illustrations and social media banners in the section below. We have also prepared templates where you can enter the messages in your own language.
We encourage all midwives and partners to join us in this celebration and to advocate for action towards a healthier planet and healthier communities.
Together, we can create a more sustainable future.
#IDM2024 #MidwivesAndClimate
Share our social messages and graphics
Midwives deliver environmentally sustainable health services and play a key role in making health systems more climate resilient. 🌍💪 During climate crises, midwives can adapt to ensure safe, respectful, and quality care for women and gender diverse people.️
Put simply, midwives are a vital climate solution.
Join #IDM2024 to champion investment, resources, autonomy, recognition, and representation for midwives. #MidwivesAndClimate
#IDM2024: Midwives, a vital climate solution! 🌎🌿
We deliver environmentally sustainable health services, making health systems more climate resilient.
In a warming world, we can adapt to ensure women and gender-diverse people get safe, respectful & quality care.
Midwives provide climate-friendly #SRMNAH. 🌍🌱
By providing services in communities where people live, we reduce the need for travel to health facilities. Having access to the care of a midwife ensures that the time and expertise of obstetricians is more available to women with complex care needs. This reduces the carbon footprint of health services and making them more sustainable and accessible for everyone.
#IDM2024 #MidwivesAndClimate
Midwives provide climate-friendly #SRMNAH
By working in communities, we reduce travel to health facilities.
Continuity of midwife care also ensures OB-GYNs can focus on complex health needs, reducing carbon emissions & promoting sustainable health services.
#IDM2024
Healthcare services are responsible for 5% of greenhouse gas emissions globally. 🌍⚠️
Continuity of midwife care improves maternal health outcomes and ensures more babies are born alive, on time and healthy.
Better health outcomes mean mothers and babies are less likely to need medical care in the short- and long-term. This reduces the use of medical resources and limits medical waste.
#IDM2024 #MidwivesAndClimate
Health services are responsible for 5% of carbon emissions. 🌍⚠️
Midwife care enhances maternal and newborn health, leading to better health outcome in the short and long term.
We use less resources and create less waste.
#IDM2024 #MidwivesAndClimate
Midwives help mothers meet their breastfeeding goals – usually breastfeeding for longer. 🤱🏾
Breastfeeding doesn’t require packaging or shipping, it saves water and improves the health of women and babies.
Midwives supporting women to breastfeed successfully is good for babies, women and the planet!
#IDM2024 #MidwivesAndClimate
🤱🏽 Midwives help women meet their breastfeeding goals, saving resources like packaging, shipping, and water.
This supports the health of mums, babies, and the planet! 🌍
#IDM2024 #MidwivesAndClimate
Midwives are sexual and reproductive health champions. 💪🏽
We provide education, contraception, comprehensive abortion care and support, enabling women to manage their own reproductive health. This promotes women’s rights and economic resilience, while and reducing their vulnerability to the impacts of climate change.
Midwives are #SRH champions!
We offer education, contraception, comprehensive abortion care, & support, empowering women to manage their reproductive health. 💪🏻
This not only promotes women’s rights, economic resilience, it reduces vulnerability to climate change impacts.
#IDM2024 #MidwivesAndClimate
Community-based midwives can more easily reach areas affected by climate disasters 🌪️, and quickly provide essential reproductive and maternal health services. We are a valuable network for evidence-based information and supply distribution, ensuring that women and babies have access to care during the worst consequences of our warming world. 🌡️
By resourcing midwifery services, funders and healthcare systems are supporting providers capable of coordinating effective crisis response plans.
#IDM2024 #MidwivesAndClimate 🌿
Community midwives can play a vital role in reaching areas hit by climate disasters, swiftly offering essential reproductive & maternal health services.
If enabled we can deliver care, information & supplies during climate emergencies. 🌡️
#IDM2024 #MidwivesAndClimate 🌿