International Confederation of Midwives (ICM)
Sylvia Hamata
Sylvia P. Hamata is a Namibian, registered nurse/midwife and an admitted Legal Practitioner of the High Court of Namibia. Sylvia was engaged in the 2019 Young Midwife Leaders (YML) programme with the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM). ICM is an accredited non-governmental organisation and represents midwives and midwifery to organisations worldwide to achieve common goals in the care of mothers and newborns. ICM works closely with the WHO, UNFPA, and other UN Agencies; global professional health care organisations including the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics (FIGO), the International Pediatric Association (IPA), the International Council of Nurses (ICN), non-governmental organisations, and bilateral and civil society groups. Sylvia is passionate about legal matters pertaining to the Midwifery Workforce within health systems. Her YML project was aimed at educating Namibian midwives on legal aspects they encounter in their daily working environments and how to use that knowledge to enhance quality care to the benefit of women and their families.
About the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM)
ICM has been the global voice of midwives and midwives’ associations for more than 100 years. The midwifery model of care is based on respect, dignity, compassion, and the promotion of human rights for all. This includes the right to access quality care from autonomous midwives. Midwives have a broad role in providing universal sexual reproductive health service according to the ICM Definition and Scope of Practice of a Midwife. We currently represent over 136 midwives’ associations (MAs) in 117 countries – more than one million midwives globally. We are a trusted partner for technical consultations, capacity building, knowledge sharing, promoting human rights and sustainability. ICM is an accredited non-governmental organisation registered in The Netherlands. We have a large geographic scope and networks in sexual, reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health and rights. We envision a world where every childbearing woman has access to a midwife’s care for herself and her newborn. Our mission is to strengthen midwives’ associations and to advance the profession of midwifery globally by promoting autonomous midwives as the most appropriate caregivers for childbearing women and in keeping birth normal, to enhance the reproductive health of women, their newborns and their families.
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