WHO/Europe and the ministries of health of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan have launched “Central Asian Strategic Directions for Nursing and Midwifery 2025–2030”, a new framework designed to strengthen and modernize the nursing and midwifery workforce across the subregion.
Developed over 4 years of intensive policy dialogue with government chief nursing and midwifery officers, international partners, WHO collaborating centres and experts from all 5 countries of Central Asia, the new report outlines a shared vision for building a more resilient nursing and midwifery workforce capable of responding to current and future health challenges.
Nurses and midwives make up 74% of practising health professionals in Central Asia – well above the regional average – while the subregion produces nearly 1 in 5 nursing graduates in the WHO European Region. With the majority of nurses and midwives under the age of 44 in this subregion, the strategy stresses the need to strengthen recruitment, improve retention and ensure strong, long-term investment in this critical workforce.
The Strategic Directions provides a cohesive framework that brings together 4 priority areas aligned with global and regional guidance:
- education – modernizing and standardizing training based on nursing and midwifery science;
- service delivery – optimizing care models and expanding professional roles;
- leadership – ensuring nurses and midwives are represented at all levels of decision-making; and
- jobs and working conditions – improving regulation, professional protections and decent work standards.
The initiative builds on key WHO reports, including the Framework for Action on the Health and Care Workforce in the WHO European Region 2023–2030; the Health and Care Workforce in Europe: Time to Act; the Roadmap for Health and Well-being in Central Asia (2022–2025); and the Global Strategic Directions for Nursing and Midwifery, while contributing directly to the Second European Programme of Work 2026–2030.
“When nurses and midwives are empowered, health systems are transformed,” said Dr Natasha Azzopardi-Muscat, Director of the Division of Health Systems at WHO/Europe. “These Strategic Directions represent an opportunity to align efforts across the subregion and invest in this safety-critical workforce that is essential to delivering quality, equitable and people-centred health services.”
WHO/Europe reaffirmed its commitment to supporting governments in implementing the Strategic Directions, strengthening institutional capacity, and promoting policies that allow nurses and midwives to practice to the full extent of their skills.
The launch marks a significant milestone for Central Asia, signalling strong political will to advance health workforce reforms and ensure that every person in the subregion can access high-quality, compassionate and equitable care.