Year of the Nurse and the Midwife 

Every country needs a competent, motivated, well-distributed and supported health workforce. Nurses and midwives can transform the ways health actions are organized and how health care is delivered. They are the backbone of primary health care systems and are essential to achieve universal health coverage. To celebrate 2020, the Year of the Nurse and Midwife, we honored women midwife and nurse leaders who are making a difference in global health.

Let us use the stories of their everyday heroism and service to call for all countries to invest in decent work and a new social contract for nurses and midwives as part of their commitment to health for all. Despite shortages of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), a lack of support and crippling uncertainty, these women represent millions more nurses and midwives on the frontlines of patient care, providing solutions, every day, to people around the globe.

This initiative was carried out in partnership with the World Health Organization, the International Council of Nurses, the International Confederation of Midwives, the United Nations Population Fund, and Nursing Now.

Meet the 100 outstanding women nominees