International Nurses Day Celebration

Background

In the context of International Nurses Day, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) proposes that Member States promote a strategic reflection on health workforce planning and the expansion of the role of nursing as pathways to strengthen health systems in the Region of the Americas.
The Region is experiencing demographic, epidemiological, and social transformations that pose new challenges for health systems. Population aging, the increasing burden of chronic and noncommunicable diseases, the growing frequency of public health emergencies, and persistent inequalities in access to health services have increased the demand for services and placed pressure on the capacity of health systems to respond. These challenges occur in a context marked by structural imbalances in the health workforce, including shortages of professionals, unequal distribution, limitations in training capacity, and difficulties in retention.

With approximately 7.4 million professionals, nursing constitutes the largest group within the health workforce in the Region and plays an essential role in the provision of care, health promotion, the management of chronic conditions, and continuity of care. However, challenges persist related to the unequal distribution of these professionals, heterogeneity in education systems, limitations in regulatory frameworks and scopes of practice, often inadequate working conditions, and high migration rates. These factors restrict the full realization of the potential of nursing to contribute to improving access, quality, and efficiency of health systems.

In this context, strengthening health workforce planning and expanding the role of nursing emerge as fundamental strategies to respond to the current and future health needs of the population. Initiatives such as the expansion of advanced practice nursing, strengthening the role of nursing in primary health care, the use of digital technologies, and the active participation of nursing in policy-making processes can contribute to expanding access to services, improving the resolutive capacity of care, and strengthening the sustainability of health systems.

PAHO’s Policy on the Health Workforce 2030: strengthening human resources for health to achieve resilient health systems provides Member States with a strategic framework to guide actions aimed at strengthening health workforce governance, improving regulatory mechanisms, strengthening interprofessional teams, transforming the education of health professionals, and promoting decent working conditions.

In this sense, the activities of International Nurses Day 2026 seek to promote regional dialogue, the exchange of evidence, and the identification of strategies that allow the integration of health workforce planning with the expansion of the role of nursing, contributing to more resilient and equitable health systems capable of responding to the health needs of the populations of the Region of the Americas.