This policy brief highlights the importance of educating and training midwives according to global midwifery standards. It provides a summary of critical evidence on midwifery education standards, including the duration of pre-service programmes, suggested allocation between theory and practice components, and summarises key evidence on why quality midwifery pre-service education according to global standards provides one of the most cost effective pathways to reducing preventable maternal, newborn mortality and stillbirths.   

The document was developed by the UNFPA Asia-Pacific Regional Office (APRO) with support from our partners at the Burnet Institute.