International Childbirth Initiative
The International Childbirth Initiative (ICI): 12 Steps to Safe and Respectful Maternity Care launched at the XXII FIGO World Congress in Brazil.
The initiative was developed to promote quality in practice within a broader scope and multidimensional approach to quality that ensures evidence based practice focusing on better (bio)-medical and psychosocial health outcomes for the MotherBaby-Family unit.
It also addresses a number of health system issues that contribute the achievement of quality of care in practice including working conditions and relationships between health care providers.
The ICI Foundational Principles and 12 Steps are building blocks for equitable, Mother-Baby-Family focussed, timely, effective and respectful care that can be implemented by facilities, centres, hospitals and units providing care before, during and after birth to women and their babies throughout the world. The ICI supports organizational implementation and facilitates a learning community of practice for ICI implementers.
As one of the founding organizations, FIGO has embraced this initiative and it has declared as a FIGO Presidential Initiative by Dr. Carlos Fuchtner. ICI is a FIGO project that will continue to collaborate with partners to support ICI implementation and recognition status. FIGO manages finances of the ICI.
The ICI project is made up of members of the ICI Executive and FIGO representatives.
The current members of the ICI project are:
André Lalonde, MD, Canada, Obs-Gyn - ICI Chair
Kathy Herschderfer RM, Netherlands - ICI Executive Director
Debra Pascali-Bonaro , LCCE, USA - ICI Co-chair
Suellen Miller, CNM, PhD, USA - ICI Executive
Carlos Fuchtner, MD, Obs-Gyn - Bolivia, FIGO President
Claudia Hanson MD, PhD, Obs-Gyn - Sweden, ICI Executive
Christine Tippett, MD, Obs-Gyn - Australia, FIGO Treasurer, FIGO Oversight Officer
Contact information:
André Lalonde: [email protected]
