BACKGROUND:
In partnership with UNFPA Arab States Regional Office (ASRO), the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) is piloting the first regional adaptation of the PUSH Campaign - an advocacy initiative promoting woman-centered care (WCC) and elevating the visibility, autonomy, and leadership of midwives. This joint effort addresses deep-rooted gender inequities in health systems, particularly in the Arab States Region, where midwifery is undervalued, WCC is limited, and midwives often operate within restrictive, male-dominated environments. The region faces critical challenges: low access to respectful care, limited bodily autonomy, poor reproductive health literacy, and the world’s second-largest midwifery workforce gap (1). The PUSH Campaign positions midwifery not only as a healthcare solution, but as a gender justice strategy essential to transforming maternal and reproductive health.

OBJECTIVES:
The campaign’s three-pillar strategy - Partnership, Policy, and Public Engagement - combines high-level advocacy with grassroots mobilization. Key activities include feminist coalition-building, community consultations, social media campaigns (e.g., Who is a Midwife?), and storytelling that centers real-life experiences. Implementation is guided by the Arab Regional Midwifery Advisory Group (ARMAG), composed of ten midwifery leaders from across the region.

METHODS:
A robust monitoring and evaluation framework has been developed to assess progress in public awareness, stakeholder commitment, and gender-transformative policy shifts. This includes a results matrix, relevant indicators, and a baseline Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices (KAP) survey to track community perceptions of WCC and midwifery over time.

RESULTS:
Though still in its implementation phase, the campaign builds on UNFPA’s longstanding investments in midwifery and aligns with ICM’s global PUSH strategy.

CONCLUSIONS:
No conclusion yet

KEY MESSAGE:
Key message:The PUSH Campaign reframes midwifery as central to gender-equitable health systems. By amplifying women’s voices and normalizing WCC, the Arab States Region is leading a replicable model of transformative, rights-based care for other regions facing similar inequities. Poster session 4 (Group B)