The State of the World's Midwifery 2021

Published on May 5, 2021, this report was released by the United Nations Population Fund in partnership with WHO and the International Confederation of Midwives, the Netherlands. It is the third report in The State of the World’s Midwifery series, the first of which was released in the year 2011. Due to their crucial position in the wider sexual, reproductive, maternal, newborn and adolescent health (SRMNAH) workforce, midwives are the primary focus of this report. It states that licensed midwives who have the required degrees (when aided by other health professionals) can deliver about 90 per cent of all essential SRMNAH services – such as maternal and newborn healthcare, sexual and reproductive health counselling, contraceptive services and abortion care. However, they make up less than 10 per cent of the SRMNAH workforce in the world. The report highlights the need for greater investment in education and training of midwives; planning, management and regulation of the workforce; and prompt service delivery to help midwives deliver better healthcare services. This 80-page document is divided into seven chapters: Introduction (Chapter 1); Midwives: a vital investment (Chapter 2); Education and regulation of midwives to ensure high-quality care (Chapter 3); Need for and availability of midwives and other SRMNAH workers (Chapter 4); Equity of access to the SRMNAH workforce (Chapter 5); Enabling and empowering the SRMNAH workforce: Gender matters (Chapter 6); Progress since 2011 and looking forward to 2030 (Chapter 7).