Engage, Empower, Act: Launching the State of the World’s Nursing report, 2025
To celebrate International Nurses’ Day and the launch of the World Health Organization’s second State of the World’s Nursing (SoWN) report, The Burdett Trust for Nursing and the Nursing Now Challenge hosted a series of online and in-person events, bringing together global nursing leaders and innovators to discuss the report data and recommendations.
We started the day bright and early, beginning with the South East Asia Regional Hub launch webinar at 6am BST. This was the first of six regional webinars that took place over the course of the day. These webinars were planned and hosted by the Challengers’ Committee Regional Hub Leads and brought together diverse panels of speakers, including early-career nurses, educators and policymakers from across the world to celebrate International Nurses’ Day and the launch of the SoWN report. We were delighted to welcome speakers from each of the WHO Regional Offices as well as representatives from the WHO Collaborating Centres. These regional webinars reached hundreds of nurses around the world, with participants joining from over 20 countries including Zambia, North Macedonia, Colombia, Ghana, Luxembourg, the Solomon Islands and Brunei.
You can watch the recordings of the Challengers’ Committee Regional Hub, State of the World’s Nursing report launch webinars here.
Later in the day, The Burdett Trust for Nursing and the Nursing Now Challenge teams hosted a private event at the House of Lords. It was a joy to bring together members of the Nursing Now Challenge network along with nursing leaders and representatives from around the world. Participants included key figures from UK government, including Duncan Burton, Chief Nursing Officer, England and Gillian Knight, Deputy Chief Nursing Officer, Wales, as well as representatives from nurse education, the charity sector, and the media, all coming together to reflect on the SoWN report’s findings and discuss the future of the nursing profession.
Speakers included:
- Dr Amelia Afuhaamango Tuipulotu, Chief Nursing Officer, World Health Organization
- Professor Joanne Bosanquet, CEO, Foundation of Nursing Studies
- Clare Cable, CEO, The Burdett Trust for Nursing
- Dr Jim Campbell, Director Health Workforce, World Health Organization
- Howard Catton, Chief Executive Officer, International Council of Nurses & Co-Chair SoWN Steering Committee
- Emilia Clarke, Actor, Founder of SameYou and Nursing Now Challenge Ambassador
- Lord Nigel Crisp, Co-Founder of the Nursing Now campaign and Independent crossbench member, House of Lords
- Professor Aisha Holloway, Programme Director, Nursing Now Challenge
- Dr Carey McCarthy, Technical Officer, Nursing & Midwifery, World Health Organization
- Baroness Anne-Marie Rafferty, Professor of Nursing Policy, King’s College London
- Marcus Wootton, Associate Director – Royal College of Nursing International Academy
- Nursing Now Challenge, Challengers’ Committee members including:
- Andres deJuan Ortega, Registered Nurse, Challengers’ Committee Regional Hub Lead, Europe
- Lincoln Gombedza, Learning Disability Nurse, Challengers’ Committee Regional Hub Lead, Europe
- Sana Gul, Registered nurse and midwifery student, Challengers’ Committee Regional Hub Lead, Eastern Mediterranean
During this meeting, Clare Cable, Chief Executive of The Burdett Trust for Nursing said:
“Today, the message is clear: We are at a pivotal moment and it is both urgent and essential that governments around the world invest in nursing to protect the health and wellbeing of our global population, and the generations to come.”
We were also delighted to receive a message from Nursing Now Challenge Ambassador, Emilia Clarke who said:
“Nurses are essential to achieving universal health coverage and resilient health systems. Their insights must be heard at every level of decision-making. This event is not just about launching a report — it’s about catalyzing action.”
The Burdett Trust for Nursing, the Nursing Now Challenge and its members urge nurses, policymakers, educators, and civil society organisations across the globe to explore the findings of the SoWN 2025 report and use it as a tool for advocacy, collaboration, and action.
Learn more about this event, here.
