The head of an international nursing body has called on nurses from all countries to pay attention to global crises like climate change and war, no matter how far removed they may seem. Howard Catton, chief executive of the International Council of Nurses (ICN), spoke to Nursing Times on the final day of the organisation's 2025 congress in Finland last week about his reflections on the global meeting of nurses. "I don't think that there are nurses who are isolated from global events" Howard CattonThe event hosted more than 7,000 nurses from over 140 countries from across the world, where they shared expertise and knowledge. Mr Catton said he was pleased by the way national nursing associations, such as the Royal College of Nursing in the UK, provided a “strong voice” on these issues throughout the ICN event. Mr Catton said the headline topics mentioned at congress, and others like non-communicable diseases, mental health, diversity and equity, should be on the forefront of nurses’ minds regardless of where they live.
