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Plenary Session #1
Realising the top demands of midwives – a pathway towards better pay, and a happier, healthier midwifery workforce
Monday, 12 June 2023 | 09:00 – 10:30
Lecture room: Nusa Dua 5
In 2022, the White Ribbon Alliance, together with the International Confederation of Midwives, published Midwives’ Voices, Midwives’ Demands – a report detailing the top demands of over 56,000 midwives from 101 countries. In response to the question, “What do you want most in your role as a midwife?”, midwives overwhelming indicated being paid a living wage, with benefits as their top demand. This is unsurprising given that midwives globally remain at the bottom of the pay equity ladder, even as they quite literally shoulder the costs of supporting women and families—from delivering babies to treating survivors of gender-based violence—in places where there would otherwise be no services.
This conversation will spotlight the work of midwives and other activists who have fought for and won the right to better pay and working conditions for their profession. It will feature a diverse range of experts from various professions and social and economic contexts sharing first-hand accounts of their successful lobbying efforts to increase compensation and improve working conditions for midwives, women and other marginalised groups. Delegates will leave this discussion with guidance and models for their own pay-equity work.
Plenary Session #1 speakers

Leanne Levers
Moderator
Meet the Moderator
Dr. Leanne Levers is a strategic communications, advocacy, and policy consultant across areas of justice reform, gender equality, and racial justice. Leanne has a PhD in Politics and International Studies and has dedicated her time to supporting women and other marginalised groups, resulting in legislative reform around gender-based violence, SRHR, and the death penalty. Currently, Leanne is the Director of Advocacy and Communications at both Global Office Consulting and White Ribbon Alliance, where she leads on various campaigns, including PUSH - a decade-long global movement for women and the midwives who protect and uphold their rights and bodily autonomy. Leanne is the co-founder of Dope Black Women CIC, an award-winning organisation dedicated to the empowerment of Black women. Her first book, “Decolonising Restorative Justice: A Case for Policy Reform” is being released in 2023.

Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent
Panelist
Meet the Panelist
Professor Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent OBE, is the first Chief Midwife for the International Confederation of Midwives, based in The Hague. She was previously the first Chief Midwifery Officer for the NHS in England and National Maternity Safety Champion. Whilst holding senior positions, she also works clinically as a midwife and is a visiting Professor at Kings College London and London South Bank University. She is passionate about equitable maternity care and the equitable education of midwives. She chairs the Health/Race Observatory Maternity Advisory Group in England and is noted as one of the Health Service Journal’s most influential people in health.

Lackson Kasonka
Panelist
Meet the Panelist
Professor Lackson Kasonka is in charge of Technical Services at the Ministry of Zambia since November 2021. He is a Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology with a Master of Public Health from London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. He also holds a master of degree in Business Administration, and a fellowship from the college of Obstetrics and Gynecology of East, Central and Southern Africa. Professor Kasonka is an author of several papers in Maternal and Child Health Nutrition the era of HIV, taking a community Health Perspective. He is a Nutrition Health Researcher.

Juana Berinstein
Panelist
Meet the Panelist
Juana Berinstein is the Director of Policy and Communications for the Association of Ontario Midwives, where she has campaigned to improve the lives of midwives, including through negotiated collective agreements, intersectional gender-based analysis and pay equity. Juana has a joint master’s degree in communication and culture with a focus on public policy from York and Toronto Metropolitan University and a degree in women and gender studies from University of Toronto. She was a Board Member at Health Nexus, a mentor with Rainbow Health Ontario’s policy institute, a representative on the Equal Pay Coalition and a community advisor to the Ontario Human Rights Commission. Juana immigrated to Canada from Argentina and lives in Toronto with her partner and two daughters.
Plenary Session #2
The last healthcare professionals standing – an exploration of the role of midwives in humanitarian and fragile settings
Tuesday, 13 June 2023 | 09:00 – 10:30
Lecture room: Nusa Dua 5
From Russia’s war in Ukraine to brutal setback for women’s rights in Afghanistan to disastrous flooding in Pakistan, the past year has included some of the worst political conflicts and environmental disasters in recent history. Through all of it, midwives are on the frontlines, often working outside of their usual scope of practice, without compensation and with limited medical supplies and resources to support women community members. We know that humanitarian emergencies like these seriously impact the health systems of an affected country, especially in the area of maternal, newborn and child health services. We also know that climate change and a rise in political instability mean midwives everywhere can anticipate and increase in their involvement in these events. So, how do we equip our global community to navigate and lead in times of crisis?
This plenary session will explore the role of midwives and midwives’ associations in humanitarian emergencies. Delegates will hear from midwives and disaster response experts with first-hand accounts of delivering sexual and reproductive health services amidst war and natural disaster. Through this session, we will explore the tools, resources and training midwives require for this grueling, unpredictable work, and the underlying need for more resilient health systems with midwives’ voices and leadership at the centre. While this conversation will touch on the tragic impact of war and climate change, its aim is to leave Delegates feeling empowered regarding their role and potential as activists and community leaders.
Plenary Session #2 speakers

Paulina Ospina
Moderator
Meet the Moderator
Paulina Ospina, Associate Director, Maternal & Child Health Programs, joined the U.S. based non-profit, Direct Relief, in 2009 with prior work experience in the pharmaceutical industry and clinical research. Paulina works on topics of maternal, neonatal, and reproductive health, including supporting midwives in humanitarian and fragile settings. Paulina works with healthcare partners in the United States, Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Originally from Colombia, Paulina is fluent in Spanish, and holds a Master in Health Science in international health from Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, as well as a B.A. in biological anthropology and anatomy from Duke University, and an M.A. in anthropology from the University of California, Santa Barbara

María Florencia Francisconi
Panelist
Meet the Panelist
Argentinian Midwife, Specialist in Clinical Midwifery and Master in Public Health. Member of the Scientific Committee of the Journal “Obstetrix”, created by the the Committee for the Promotion of Research and Leadership of the College of Midwives of the Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina; and ICM Board Member. Florencia has been working in the humanitarian medical sector with three different NGOs since 2018, in eight countries, and has experience as Midwife Activity Manager, Sexual and Gender Based Violence Consultant and Advanced Life Support in Obstetrics Training.

Dr. Natalia Kanem
Panelist
Meet the Panelist
In a career spanning over three decades, Dr. Natalia Kanem has dedicated her life to improving the health and lives of women and children by championing their rights and choices. She leverages her combined expertise in science, public health and philanthropy to advance the reproductive health and rights of women and girls, and to uphold the human dignity of all. As United Nations Under-Secretary General and Executive Director of UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency, Dr. Kanem oversees its life-saving policy, development and humanitarian work in over 120 countries, with the aim of assuring that ‘every pregnancy is intended, every childbirth is safe and every young person’s potential is fulfilled.’

Jeffthanie Mathurin
Panelist
Meet the Panelist
Haitian registered midwife since 2018. She worked as practitioner midwife in maternity ward for almost 5 years. Communication officer of the Association of Haitian Midwives. ICM’s YML from the 2021-2023 cohort. Member of the Americas Professional Committee as Emerging Leader and current Digital Communication Coordinator at ICM.

Vira Tselyk
Panelist
Meet the Panelist
I, Tselyk Vira Mykolayivna, was born on September 13, 1972, in the village of Levkovychi, Chernihiv region. After graduating from high school in 1989, I entered the Chernihiv Medical School, which I completed in 1993, obtaining a specialty in midwifery. Since March 1993, I have worked as a midwife in the maternity ward of the Maternity House in the city of Chernihiv. Since October 2000, I have been working as a senior midwife in the maternity ward of the Municipal Institution “Maternity House” of the Chernihiv City Council. In 2009, I was awarded the higher qualification category of a midwife. In 2019, I graduated from the Chernihiv National Technological University, with a qualification in higher education in the field of “Human Health”. In 2020, I obtained a qualification in higher education in “Public Management and Administration”, a Master’s degree. I am married for 33 years and have a daughter. I live in the city of Chernihiv.
Plenary Session #3
The next 100 years of ICM and midwifery – strategies for ensuring greater support, inclusivity and representation for our global community of midwives
Wednesday, 14 June 2023 | 09:00 – 10:30
Lecture room: Nusa Dua 5
The midwife-led model of care – one that is premised on upholding the values and defending the needs of women and each individual seeking care from a midwife – is and will always be a fundamental component of our health systems. As we know from an overwhelming body of evidence, it’s the care model that produces the best health outcomes for birthing parents and newborns, and it’s critical we continue to promote and defend this model even as governments and their leaders refuse to action the evidence and invest in midwives. ICM recognises its role in providing midwives and their associations with the tools to advocate for midwifery and establishing and supporting a midwifery workforce to deliver appropriate services to all. This effort of midwives – and ICM as the global body representing midwives’ associations – to learn and grow is critical to the longevity of the profession.
As ICM enters its next we’re asking the question: what is the role of ICM in advancing midwifery and how can we support midwives to deliver the best-possible care to women and all community members, respecting their race, sexual orientation, religion, other social identities and individual needs? Amongst ever-evolving social and political landscapes, the global leaders featured on this panel will explore strategies for ensuring the next generation of midwives reflects our increasingly diverse communities, as well as practices midwives can adopt to ensure they’re providing inclusive care. Ultimately, the goal of this session is to provide Delegates with an understanding of their integral role in building a resilient, inclusive ICM and midwifery workforce, while continuing to uphold and promote the midwife-led model of care.
Plenary Session #3 speakers

Dr. Sally Pairman
Moderator
Meet the Moderator
Sally is a global midwifery leader with a career of more than 40 years spanning all aspects of the profession, including leadership roles in the New Zealand College of Midwives, the Midwifery Council of New Zealand and in midwifery education. She holds a Doctorate in Midwifery and has extensive publications including being co-editor of an Australasian Midwifery textbook now in its 6th edition. Sally is passionate about midwives and strong midwives’ associations as the solution for reducing maternal and neonatal mortality and morbidity and improving the health of women and their families through quality midwifery care. In 2008, she was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for her services to midwifery and women’s health.

Ana Barreto
Panelist
Meet Your Fellow Panelist
Ana Barreto is an expert in the intersections of race, gender, global health, and the arts. She has more than fifteen years of experience working with international organizations and social movements in several counties. Currently, she is the director of the National Birth Equity Collaborative in the U.S., leading their global advocacy work. She is a 2021 Soros Equality fellow and a senior fellow of the United Nations Fellowship Program for People of African descent. Ana is also the founder of Black Women Policy Lab, a new initiative that strengthens the political leadership capacity of Black women human rights defenders to become public officials. Ana sits on the board of the white Ribbon Alliance, and it is considered by the United Nations one of the Most Influential People of African descent in the world.

Anshu Banerjee
Panelist
Meet Your Fellow Panelist
Dr Banerjee is Director for the Department of Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health and Ageing at the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva, Switzerland. He previously served as Director Global Coordination in the Office of the Assistant Director General for Family Women’s and Children’s Health, WHO Geneva, Dr Banerjee’s 30+ years in public health includes working as WHO representative in several countries. Dr Banerjee holds a PhD in tuberculosis control from the University of Amsterdam, Netherlands, a Master’s in Public Health for Developing Countries from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, United Kingdom, and a medical degree from the University of Antwerp, Belgium. Dr Banerjee has 30+ years in public health and has worked in a variety of capacities with civil society, bilateral agencies, and funding agencies.

Kaveri Mayra
Panelist
Meet Your Fellow Panelist
Dr. Kaveri Mayra is an Indian midwifery, nursing and global health researcher and activist. She is a postdoctoral fellow at the University of British Columbia. She focuses on midwifery workforce governance research, sexual, reproductive, maternal health and rights especially obstetric violence and respectful maternity care.

Cherisse Buzzacott
Panelist
Meet Your Fellow Panelist
Cherisse Buzzacott is an Arrernte First Nations woman from Alice Springs, in the centre of Australia. She is a mother of four children and a midwife. Cherisse works as the Head of Health and Wellbeing at Ampe-kenhe Ahelhe or Children’s Ground. She is also the Chair of the Rhodanthe Lipsett Trust, providing scholarships to First Nations student midwives. As a midwife Cherisse has worked in remote areas and advocates for Black women’s right to autonomy and choice, having experienced racism in the health care system. Cherisse provides advocacy to her local community to influence long-term and meaningful systemic change.