ICN Congress 2021: International regonition of nurses

ICN’s biannual congress took place from the 2nd to the 4th of November, in Geneva, Switzerland. The ICN Congresses bring together nurses and related fields from around the world to help disseminate best practice, research and knowledge. This year’s conference has taken care to celebrate the profession in its pertinence to global health systems during the COVID -19 pandemic. Former president Annette Kennedy open the Western Pacific region session.

Key speaker: Prof. Amelia Afuha’amango Tuipoulotu, the Honourable Minister of Health for the Kingdom of Tonga, emphasised the need for an international system that can readily counteract future pandemics. Reference is made to Tonga’s proficiency in curtailing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic as it was aided by the pioneering of the Tongan National Infection Prevention and Control Work Plan. Thus, the need for global and pacific action solutions that address the ongoing challenges that face working conditions of nurses and midwives is demonstrated. She furthered this in proposing the following three sustainable critical solutions:

• Reality scope of practice must reflect the full extent of nursing and midwifery education
• Young potential leaders must prepare key competencies to influence and partner with current dominant powers in healthcare to enhance and prolong investment in nursing and midwifery education and practice
• All nurses must lead, model and act to prevent the predicted dangerous trend in non-communicable disease proliferation

Newly appointed President Dr Pamela Cipriano emphasises the word ‘influence’ in her closing remarks. Dr Cirpriano feels that this words best symbolizes the immensely important role nurses have played in physical, mental, social economic outcomes. Further to this, the duality of meaning in ‘influence,’ in that is an action and an outcome talks to nurses multifaceted influences on broader society.

It is through the power of our positions as knowledgeable decision makers and problem solvers, advocates and passionate professionals, that we have influence and can influence others
                                                                                                   – Dr Palema Cipriano

The Western- Pacific region is home to 6 million nurses. Each region faces unique challenges from economic strains to increases in mental health issues. Further to its critical capacity, the ICN Congress’s importance is its recognition of the vital role nurses and midwives play in global health care systems and its commending of their vast sacrifices rendered during the COVID-19 pandemic.