ICN Congress brings world’s nurses together for first time since the COVID-19 pandemic

The International Council of Nurses (ICN) Congress is welcoming more than 6,000 nurses to the Palais de Congrès in Montreal, Canada, the largest gathering of nurses since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The ICN Congress, which is being hosted by the Canadian Nurses Association and runs from 1 -5 July 2023, will celebrate and commemorate nursing’s achievements and contributions to health care worldwide.

This year’s theme, Nurses together: A force for global health, acknowledges the unity and strength of the profession, which has been tested to the full during the pandemic and in its aftermath.

ICN President, Dr Pamela Cipriano, said: “The nursing profession comes together every two years so that nurses can learn from each other, share best practices and celebrate our achievements.

‘This year’s celebrations will be especially poignant as we count the costs of the pandemic, not only in remembering the many thousands of nurses who lost their lives to COVID-19, but also in terms of its consequences for the wellbeing of nurses everywhere, many of whom are still living with its after-effects.

‘Nursing has always been a powerful force for global health, but what the pandemic did was make plainly visible to everyone that nurses and nursing care are essential to survival as well as health. During the pandemic, the vivid images of nurses showed the world that they are an invaluable resource that must be respected and supported rather than ignored, as we so often have been in the past.

'But most of all it revealed the urgent necessity to invest in nursing education, jobs, leadership and clinical practice, for the good of us all. Nurses are the stabilizing force in healthcare systems that right now need to be transformed to support the health and care workforce and nurses must not be taken for granted.

‘I am looking forward to welcoming nurses from 125 countries from every corner of the globe to this wonderful event. They will communicate their experiences and share best practices, and they will continue to strive to achieve the goal of universal health coverage for everyone, no matter where they live, or their financial circumstances.”

The programme for this year’s Congress includes plenary sessions from global health leaders and politicians, including Canada’s Minister of Health Jean-Yves Duclos, United States Congresswoman Lauren Underwood and the former head of the World Health Programme David Beasley, as well as nursing experts and academics, including WHO’s Chief Nursing Officer Amelia Latu Afuhaamango Tuipulotu.

ICN’s global governing body, the Council of National Nursing Association Representatives, is currently convening in Montreal from 29 June to 1 July 2023.