Good evening. I am delighted to join so many friends here to celebrate midwives and the work of ICM. 

Indeed, we often meet at times of celebration. Last time I joined you at a public event, at the World Health Assembly in Geneva, the atmosphere was joyful as we celebrated midwives leading the way for quality care around the world. I know that we will share some of that spirit tonight. 

Events last week, however, will be weighing heavily on all of our minds, and prompting difficult questions about the safety of midwives and our role as champions and advocates for midwives. 

In March, a 25-year-old midwife named Saifura Hussaini Ahmed Khorsa was kidnapped by militants alongside two other International Committee of the Red Cross aid workers. Saifura, a young mother herself, had moved to Rann in north-eastern Nigeria to selflessly help those in need. 

Saifura’s murder last week is a tragedy for Nigeria and for the global community of midwives. As a mother, as a Nigerian, and as a champion for midwives, I am devastated that we have lost one of our own.  We pray and work for the release and rescue of Hauwa Mohammed Liman and Alice Loksha as we come to terms with this stark reminder of the threat to life and liberty faced by midwives, nurses and health-care workers who selflessly work for the health and wellbeing of others. 

Saifura had specifically been working in a facility for Internally Displaced Persons – where women are of course particularly vulnerable. Two days after the terrible news broke, our MamaCare midwife Rita was herself conducting an antenatal class in an IDP camp, albeit in an area with a quite different security situation. There can be no greater reminder of the need to support ICM’s advocacy and aims than the news last week and the work carried out by midwives like Saifura and Rita, with no fanfare, day after day, in some of the most challenging conditions imaginable. 

I have just come from the ICM stakeholders meeting, where we discussed ICM’s three-year strategy and had a very honest discussion about all of our strengths and weaknesses. There is no truer friend than a critical friend. One point that I must however bring to this forum which I made in that meeting is that ICM punches far above its weight. ICM’s reach is of course huge, representing over 500,000 midwives from 132 Member Associations in 113 countries across 6 regions of the world.  Many of you here this evening would probably be surprised at the number of staff given their remarkable output. I congratulate ICM, in particular Franka and Sally of course, on their outstanding work not only in forging the way ahead for ICM but for leading the way in advocacy and vision. 

I have now been ICM’s Global Goodwill Ambassador for quite some time – four and a half years and counting, in fact. I am fortunate in this role to have my work informed by the Wellbeing Foundation Africa MamaCare midwives, by the team at ICM, and by friends – many of them here – who share our vision and commitment. Like all of you, however, I strive to find new and effective ways to champion the cause of midwives, both as a public advocate and in private. Making the right case to the right people, at any level, is something I know we can share our wisdom on – please never refrain from letting me know how I can be a better champion. 

Thank you to everyone here today for being friends to ICM and champions for midwives. Above all, thank you to ICM for all that you do.