Graduates of ICN’s Global Nursing Leadership Institute working together to tackle the world’s most vital health issues

Former graduates of the International Council of Nurses’ flagship nursing leadership programme are continuing to work together to address critical health issues around the world.

The nurses, who completed their Global Nursing Leadership Institute (GNLI) programme last year, are carrying out projects aimed at improving health care for people living in their World Health Organization (WHO) regions.

The GNLI is a year-long programme aimed at senior nurses who want to take their leadership skills to the very highest level. Past graduates have gone on to very senior nursing and academic positions around the world, including as directors of nursing, chief nursing officers, professorships and positions in government ministries of health.

The 2023 cohort of 28 nurses from 22 countries have assessed the priorities in their regions and are now collaborating on regional projects that specifically address the needs of their populations (see below for details).

ICN President Dr Pamela Cipriano said the GNLI scholars are putting their leadership skills to good effect by influencing health care and the policies that drive it, in line with ICN’s priorities for nursing globally.

Dr Cipriano said: “The GNLI programme takes some of the world’s most talented nurse leaders and gives them opportunities to broaden their scope of practice and improve their skills and their ability to operate at the highest level of policymaking, ensuring that the voice of nurses is heard and appreciated by those in positions of power. And, of course, many of them have gone on to be national and world leaders in their own right.

‘The members of last year’s GNLI cohort have shown themselves to be in tune with the needs of the people they and their colleagues serve. And I am sure the same can be said for the nurses who have joined the 2024 cohort. GNLI graduates are the brightest and the best, and their influence will be felt down the years as they help to shape the health systems of the future.”

The 2024 GNLI cohort has 32 nurses from 29 countries, making it the most diverse group ever. ICN Chief Executive Officer Howard Catton addressed the new cohort in a virtual gathering and emphasised the importance of policy development in nursing at the regional and global level. Over the next year the GNLI scholars will be working together within their regions to develop their projects. The ICN is grateful for the support the GNLI programme receives from Burdett Trust for Nursing, the Health Carousel Foundation, Project Kesher, Geneva Canton and the Geneva Welcome Centre (CAGI). For more information about the GNLI programme and the projects discussed in this article please email GNLI@icn.ch