Dear all, here is part two of ICM council and some more important documents.  This is not brief! It is so hard to capture everything succinctly. Here goes...
Strategic Planning for 2011 – 2014
In the last Triennium the 5 Strategic Objectives were:
1.	Strengthening midwifery education and on-going education programmes and the role of the midwife as an educator
2.	Strengthen and support midwives’ professional autonomy to ensure midwifery education regulation and practice is designed and governed specifically by midwives
3.	Promote and support midwifery research that enhances and documents evidence-based midwifery practices
4.	Raise awareness of midwifery and extend the influence of midwives in order to lobby and advocate for policy changes relating to maternal, newborn and reproductive health care nationally and internationally
5.	Enter into strategic collaboration


On Friday, 17th June the council engaged in groups in strategic planning for the next three years. The Objectives agreed in Glasgow were reviewed – what was achieved, in term of achievement where was the most/least achieved, and now moving to the future what are the  priority in relation to those 5 objectives

Four areas for direction

1.	Advocacy
	Fundraising, Fundraiser at HQ, financial stability of ICM
	Continuing to work with partners
	Regional conferences
Promoting Vision and Mission
Universal Cadre
Fee structure
Strengthening Midwifery Leadership
Growth in regions intra-professional development
		
2.	Dissemination of ERA
3.	Research and practice
a.	Strategy
b.	Data collection

4.	Communication
a.	Transparency
b.	Advocacy to support V&M for the world based on standards
c.	Relationship with auxiliary cadres

These were voted on and accepted by a resounding majority by Council. The board will now take these four strategic directions and develop the strategic plan for the next triennium. This plan will build on the 5 Objectives of the previous Triennium.

Bid to Host ICM 31st Triennial Congress 2017
Three countries put forward bids to host the Triennial Congress: India, Indonesia and Canada and Canada won a majority vote to host the Congress in 2017.  The Czech republic will be hosting 2014.     

New Guidelines and Position Statements
ICM drew up a Guideline for attending a Woman having a Physiological (Expectant) Third Stage of Labour. The only change to the attached document is in the title. Council strongly supported and adopted this guide.

Two new position papers were presented, discussed and adopted(with some amendments:)
1.	Midwifery Led Care, The First Choice for all Women 
This paper was prepared by our region – the Central European Region.  We are sorry that we have been unable to present you with the amended version but attach for your information.

2.	Prevention of Obstetric Fistula 
This paper was also slightly amended but again work happens so fast at council it isn’t always possible to keep up with writing amendments down.
All the documents that we are referring to will be available on the ICM web site.

Existing ICM position papers were reviewed and we want to draw your attention to the position paper on home birth which we have attached.  As you may notice there have been updates e.g. the European court judgement that the choice of home birth is a European human right.  Also in collaboration with Belgium we made an amendment that will not show on the document we have sent you but will be present in the amended document on the ICM website (I am not sure how long they will take to amend).  In the 2nd para under the heading POSITION after the phrase “within a nation’s health system”…. The amendment “and with access to insurance and appropriate payment compensation”  has been added.


Bill of Rights for Women and Midwives
This is a powerful document that we recommend you view on the web site of ICM.  We have not attached because there were substansive amendments and additions made to the document.  In collaboration with MANA, the Belgium Midwives and ourselves Rights of the Midwife to be adequately paid and insured were added and accepted by council.



New Board Members
Elections were held for a number of positions:
1.	President of ICM:		there was one nomination, Frances Day-Stick from the 				Royal College of Midwives, who was elected by a large 				majority
2.	Treasurer of ICM:		there was one nomination, Marian van Huis, from the 				Dutch Midwives and the current treasurer, was re-					elected by a large majority
3.	Vice-President of ICM:	 the nominations for vice-president were withdrawn because the process for nomination was flawed due to inaccuracies in the criteria. The council agreed that following Council a new call will go out within a month to all member association for nominations and delegates present at this Council will be asked to vote.
4.	Board Members:		Ireland is part of the Central European Region and Mary Higgins was re-elected unopposed.

We would like to thank Mary Higgins for her tireless and inclusive representation of the Central European Region.  She is a hard working board member, much appreciated by all at ICM not just the region she represents and we are very fortunate to have her on the board.

Overall, this Council has been very positive.  Very powerful documents supporting the profession of midwifery have been developed in the last Triennium and are now available for member associations to use at national and regional level to strengthen midwifery and it is up to US to take action and use them!  

It is apparent that ICM is forging and strengthening many international links with Global health agencies the profile of midwifery is much more visible on the world stage and this is a strategic objective that ICM will continue to develop.  Talking to midwives from both developing and developed nations it is clear that we all have to continue to work very hard in order to keep or bring  our profession at/to the table of national policy development for maternity services and keep or achieve professional autonomous regulation and education.  We have far to go in Ireland but there is nothing like attending an international gathering of midwives to believe that YES WE CAN DO IT!

Council is now finished and today we are putting on our walking shoes and picking up our banner and walking the ROAD TO DURBAN “The World needs midwives now more than ever”.  


Sally and Margaret