An agenda for midwifery education: Advancing the state of the world's midwifery

As documented in the 2014 Lancet Series on Midwifery, midwives can make a difference to the lives of women and newborns by contributing to reductions in maternal and infant mortality and progressing towards the MDGs and new SDGs. To overcome wide inconsistencies in the regulations, political support, and content of midwifery competency training, the authors explore opportunities and challenges to the current state of the world's midwifery education and propose an Agenda placing women, newborns and families at the heart of sustainable maternity services, offering culturally sensitive and respectful care.