The RCM has joined forces with the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM), White Ribbon Alliance, and the charity Save the Children to launch a midwives’ petition to reduce maternal mortality globally.
The petition is set to build on existing campaign work around International Day of the Midwife, the launch of the
UNFPA State of the World’s Midwifery report and the
ICM global standards.
The four organisations are calling on their supporters to join them in signing the online petition. The signatures will be sent to government leaders at national level in advance of the UN General Assembly in September this year.
The petition states: ‘If births were routinely attended by midwives or health workers with midwifery skills, with the right equipment and the right support, the lives of 1.3 million newborn babies and 350,000 mothers would be saved every year.’
RCM student services advisor Sue Jacob said: ‘Having just returned from the ICM congress in Durban, the energy, commitment and determination of midwives, clearly demonstrates that mothers and babies are the most valuable resource in any country. This petition is asking every midwife in the UK to join the RCM in showing our support to put pressure on members at the UN General Assembly to allocate appropriate resources to maternal and child health.’
