Amid challenging times 7,000 nurses from 130 countries to convene for the ICN Congress 2025 in Helsinki
7,000 nurses from around the world are due to arrive in Helsinki, Finland to take part in the International Council of Nurses (ICN) biennial Congress which runs 9-13 June.
Despite the many global challenges nurses are facing, thousands are gathering in solidarity to learn from each other, share their experiences and support each other under the Congress theme Nursing Power to Change the World.
The four-day gathering is a celebration of the science and art of nursing, bringing together practising nurses and leaders of the profession, and other global leaders.
The congress comes at a pivotal moment for the profession, with the recent launch of the second State of the World’s Nursing (SOWN) report, Co-Chaired by ICN CEO Howard Catton, the findings of which were echoed by ICN’s own powerful National Nurses’ Associations’ Presidents’ Survey. The decision by the World Health Assembly to extend the Strategic Direction for Nursing and Midwifery, for which ICN had strongly lobbied, will also inform Congress, where nurse leaders will explore the serious challenges outlined in these reports, and their solutions.
Mr Catton said, “Let’s be clear - nursing has the power: The power to care, to heal, to save lives, the power to drive economies, and, as our Congress theme states, the power to change the world. That power has been recognized by the World Economic Forum and by global leaders, including former New Zealand Premier Helen Clark, and Vanessa Kerry, who is the Chief Executive Officer of SEED Global Health, who can both be heard at Congress.
‘Our message to politicians and policymakers is that it’s now time to act and invest in nursing to meet the world’s challenges across health care, the climate crisis and conflict zones, where ICN has stepped up its activity through its #NuresforPeace humanitarian work.
‘The Congress has a powerful scientific programme with more than 500 expert speakers, where we will be launching the new Definition of ‘Nurse’ and ‘Nursing’ report, and through our new Leadership Centre, underlining our ambition to grow ICN’s respected leadership programmes to support not just our current nurses, but the development of the next generation. Our new Student and Early Career Nurses Alliance will be holding its inaugural meeting at the Student Assembly prior to Congress, cementing ICN’s commitment to the future of nursing.”
The Congress scientific programme includes plenary sessions, main hall sessions, symposia, concurrent sessions, policy cafes, masterclasses, hundreds of scientific posters, a large exhibition, professional visits to Finnish health care facilities, and much, much more.
The plenary sessions will focus on leadership, nurses’ well-being, achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, lessons from health systems in Europe, technology and health, the 2nd State of the World’s Nursing report, shaping the public perception of nursing, and health for peace.
Key speakers at the Congress include:
- Princess Muna Al-Hussein of Jordan
- Rt Hon. Helen Clark, former Prime Minister of New Zealand and Co-Chair of the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response
- Amelia Latu Afuhaamango Tuipulotu, Chief Nursing Officer, World Health Organization
- Linda Aiken, Professor of Nursing and Sociology, University of Pennsylvania, USA
- Vanessa Kerry, Chief Executive Officer, SEED Global Health
For more information please visit the Congress website here.