WHO Director-General's opening remarks at Global Nursing Leadership Institute Day – 28 October 2024

Dr Diana Mason,

Dear colleagues and friends,

It is a pleasure and an honour to welcome you to Geneva and to WHO.

The partnership between WHO and the International Council of Nurses goes all the way back to our founding, in 1948.

Our collaboration remains strong, as we work together to advance universal health coverage, and with important publications like the first State of the World's Nursing Report, and the Global Strategic Directions for Nursing and Midwifery.

We look forward to the second State of the World's Nursing Report,to be released next year, which will identify priorities for investments in education, jobs, leadership, and service delivery.

Evidence-informed investments in nursing and midwifery also help advance gender equity, inclusive economic growth, and human capital for stronger communities.

But we must go even further, to empower nurses and midwives with leadership roles, policy influence, and opportunities to drive innovations that improve health for all.

And yet, while women comprise about 67% of the global health workforce, including the vast majority of nurse and midwifery positions, they hold only 25% of senior roles in health organizations.

Nurse and midwife health leaders can improve job retention and service provision, help focus policies on women and children and bring first-hand experience to addressing the needs of communities.

WHO is committed to supporting programmes for career-long leadership development for nurses and midwifes, as a path to strengthening primary health care service delivery and advancing health and well-being for all.

Leadership development can be made more accessible to nurses and midwives through advanced education, mentorship, and management training.

We must continue working together to provide midwives and nurses with fair wages, safe and enabling work environments, and career development opportunities.

With all of this in mind, I created the Chief Nursing Office during my first term. We've been lucky to be joined by Dr Amelia today, and to learn from her experiences.

You have an exciting programme ahead, with opportunities for dialogue with colleagues from across the Organization.

Your final session will delve deeper into WHO's nursing and midwifery agenda and our priorities for the upcoming Executive Board and World Health Assembly.

Now, I look forward to hearing from you, about your work and experiences in your own countries.

I thank you.

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