CONNECTING THE DOTS: 

For Global Health & Development

Advocating to
Achieve Global Goals

Imagine if we—as  a global community—could be catalysts to achieve a healthy, civilized and prosperous world!  The recipe has been identified by 17 Global Goals for Sustainable Development—also called SDGs—adopted by all 193 UN Member States in 2015, to be achieved by 2030.  The SDGs connect the dots for everything needed to achieve a healthy world.                 

See all 17 SDGs—as illustrated in the above video— with  SDG logos lined up vertically below.

NIGH's many projects—toward achieving the
UN Global Goals—are connected & linked here.

Connecting individual health & well-being with national and global health — we are joining the American Nurses Association's Grand Challenge: ​Healthy Nurse Healthy Nation:  
​Envisioning A Healthy World >>> 

UN SDGs were the
featured topic in 2018 in London, UK at the Fourth International Commonwealth Nurses & Midwives Conference   >>>

This Nightingale Declaration is our original online grassroots-to-global outreach. More than 25,000 have signed from 106 nations with nurse- leaders representing millions. 
​You can easily join them >>> 
Aussi en français >>>

“We — the nurses and concerned citizens of the global community — hereby dedicate ourselves to achieve a healthy world...”

Following from our Nightingale Declaration commitment, a workshop called Voices of Advocacy to Achieve Global Goals'  engages nurses and concerned citizens to improve their public outreach. The first such workshop has been sponsored by the Peel Chapter of the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario, in collaboration with NIGH. This project builds new opportunities for people to share what they know—and care about—with the world.  

​Famous as the ‘lady with the lamp’ known for nursing wounded and dying soldiers during the Crimean War—Florence Nightingale also founded modern secular nursing. But Nightingale's life and work also encompassed a wider field of creative initiative and influence — highly relevant for today and much in keeping with the UN's  17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).   Learn more >>

One of NIGH's teams  has established connections in East Africa. As a 'circle' of leading professional nurses, midwives, teachers and citizen activists, they are already working together to achieve many of the UN's 17 SDGs in their own villages and nation. Three of their stories are linked above. 

Indian Nurses are challenged to serve their people. Our India Representative tells their story >>  
And, one NIGH collaborator has served in the US Peace Corps as a Nursing Educator with motivated students        keen to improve their health outcomes—achieving Global Goals in Tanzania >>

PROSE Award
Honorable Mention!! 

Capturing the myriad of nursing's advances across the world, A New Era in Global Health ​— in-depth coverage of the SDGs—with members of NIGH's Team.

ABOVE: Former ICN President—Dr. Judith Shamian—brings nursing's voices to the UN—challenging us to serve globally.
BELOW:  Two of NIGH's UN Youth Representative Nurses also post their inspired stories about achieving the UN's SDGs. 

UN Youth Representative Nurses also serve refugees and children.

We participated at the UN to Advance New  Global Goals in 2013 & 2014

NIGH's UN DPI-NGO Representatives 
worked in New York City to engage nurses in the UN's 'The World We Want' survey to identify new Global Goals for 2030—and to share their contributions at conferences across the world. 

During this 'Post-2015 Agenda' phase of United Nations planning—NIGH's UN DPI-NGO Representatives created an ​Online Global Briefing to engage nurses to share their suggestions for the UN's new Global Goals. Many people participated in this first-of-its-kind outreach. 

Advocating for the UN MDGs 2000 to 2015 

During NIGH's early preparations to co-create a '2010 International Year of the Nurse' for Nightingale's Centenary Year—we were advised to dedicate this Year to advocacy for achieving the UN 'MDGs'—the Millennium Development Goals for 2000 to 2015.  After this 2010 Year, NIGH's 'Daring, Caring & Sharing' campaign raised awareness for MDG # 5— for the health of mothers.

“If the nurses and midwives of the world cannot become the lead advocates for global goals related to health — especially the health of women, girls and vulnerable infants — who can?  And who will?”

                             Recommendation to NIGH's Founders from Nikel Seth during the United Nations Economic & Social Council in 2009

Image Credits:

• Top-left UN SDGs colour wheel  from the World Meteorological Organization, used with attribution. 
• Left-posted single line of UN SDG logos & smaller SDG Colour Wheels are used with attribution to UN.org Guidelines.
• The earth in an eye, accessed from the archives of Dr. Barbara Dossey. 
• Nightingale Declaration image candles accessed for non-profit use from the clipart-library.com.
• Photo of RNAO Peel Chapter Executive Board used with permission, photographer Aya Tagami.
• Image of Florence Nightingale in NIGH’s archives.
• Images of a midwife / UN SDGs banner and truck with poster from photographers Andrew Mukhwana and Bwambale Fauza, used with permission.
• 'In India’ photo from Photoshare ID # 2005-615 Photographer Francey Hart © 2005, used with permission.  
• 'In Tanzania’ photo from photographer Hannah Bergbower, used with permission.
• Graphic Cover of ‘A New Era in Global Health’  from Springer Publications.
• Photo of Dr. Judith Shamian, from NIGH’s archives, photographer: Wayne Kines
• 'In Nicaragua’ photo from Veronica Pasha’s archives, used with permission.
• 'In Greece’ photo from Freshta Poupal’s archives, used with permission.
• 'Serving the UN Post-2015 Agenda’ image of NIGH UN NGO Representative Dr. Holly Shaw from NIGH’s archives, photographer: Wayne Kines.
• 'The World Nurses Want' graphic from NIGH’s archives.
• 'For the health of mothers’ image photographer Allan Gichigi, from UNDP images, used with attribution.
• '2010 International Year of the Nurse’ image from NIGH’s archives, photographer: Dionne Sinclair.