The Midwives Alliance of Asia (MAA) was founded in 2015 and builds on the initial ‘South Asian Midwives Alliance (SAMA) at the request of Regional leaders of Midwifery from all the participating countries. The purpose of the MAA is to contribute to improved maternal and newborn health outcomes in the Asia region, through supporting joint effort to build a strong midwives alliance and to strengthening the midwifery profession, services, education, and leadership all over Asia. By building a strong alliance representing midwifery associations and educational institutions providing midwifery education will not only creates an opportunity for donor agency to support MAA (to be referred to as the ‘Alliance’) in its’ organization development, to better represent members, optimize their joint and individual value, take a position in midwifery care provision, and contribute to policy making and effective implementation, but also allows for different approaches, shared learning and opportunities and mutual support for all members of the ‘Alliance’.

The establishment of this ‘Alliance’ builds on years of formal and informal and often ad-hoc collaboration between countries in the Asia region which aim to harmonize and align midwifery development activities. Following various meetings between representatives from a number of national midwifery associations (including from Afghanistan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Saudia Arabia, UAE) and from international organizations dealing with maternal and newborn health and midwifery which took place in different countries over a various timespan such as Delhi, Dhaka, Nepal, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and in Dubai.

In June 2015, a meeting took place in Dhaka, Bangladesh of various country midwifery representatives which was supported by GIZ. Then at the ICM conference in Japan, in July 2015, MAA was pre launched, and the Board of Directors were selected at the Jakarta meeting in October 2015. In Jakarta it was planned to from a core group of leaders who would develop the election process and strategic objectives. For various reason, not least in the recent preceding years due to the global pandemic, MAA activities have been limited. Following the pandemic midwifery leaders gathered in India and requested Dr. Rafat Jan (Midwifery Association of Pakistan) to revive MAA and south-to-south collaboration. Dr. Jan received encouragement to take action and as a result this workshop has been established to formalized the strategic plan of action for MAA funded by ‘New Venture Fund (NVF)’.