ICN Statement on Ukraine invasion
International Council of Nurses and European Nursing organisations
condemn invasion of Ukraine
The International Council of Nurses (ICN), the European Federation of Nurses Associations (EFN) and the European Forum of National Nursing and Midwifery Associations (EFNNMA),
speaking on behalf of the world’s 28 million nurses, utterly condemn the illegal invasion of Ukraine and the military attacks on its people. We call for an immediate ceasefire, an end to
all hostilities and for the commencement of intensified diplomatic negotiations to secure peace.
Nurses and other healthcare workers deliver care and treatment to all patients without fear or favour: they must be allowed to do their work protected from threats and violence, and the healthcare facilities they work in must be shielded from harm. International regulations and the Geneva Convention protecting health facilities and health workers must be respected and enforced.
The people of Ukraine must be provided with the humanitarian aid they are entitled to under international treaties, and they must have ready access to the vital equipment, medicines
and supplies that are required to treat all of their healthcare needs, including injuries or illnesses. Refugees from the conflict must be afforded the right of free passage and provided
with healthcare and support on their journeys and when they reach a place of safety.
The world’s nurses demand that the health and wellbeing of the people of Ukraine is safeguarded and that can only be achieved through lasting peace, because peace and
health are inseparable.
