The WHO Collaborating Centre for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Development (WHO CC Nursing and Midwifery UTS) has been redesignated by the WHO Western Pacific Regional Office as a Collaborating Centre for another four-year term from 2024-2028.
The redesignation comes just in time for its twentieth year as an established centre. The Centre first opened in 2004 in response to the SARS outbreak and received its first designation as a Collaborating Centre in 2008. The vision to support nurses and midwives in tackling existent and emerging health issues in the Pacific has remained unwavered.
Collaborating Centres are fundamental to the practice of the World Health Organisation’s working principles. The WHO CC Nursing and Midwifery UTS carries out activities in support of the WHO’s programmes, focusing on Midwifery and Nursing in the Western Pacific Region.
Activities often include capacity building, strengthening health systems, and leadership and education programs for nurses and midwives, among others. Just earlier in April, WHO CC UTS hosted fellows from 13 countries across the Western Pacific for the 2024 Pacific Leadership Program.
As the only WHO CC for nursing and midwifery in Australia, and as the Secretariat for the Global Network of WHO Collaborating Centres for Nursing and Midwifery (2022-2026), the Centre plays an important role in enhancing networks, collaborations, partnerships, and coordination within the region.
Numerous projects are currently ongoing, and the redesignation is a testament to the work being done. The redesignation also allows for continued long-standing relationships that have been fostered by the Centre and that have allowed for the regional impact it has created.