This year, the International Council of Nurses (ICN) celebrates 125 years of advocacy for nursing and nurses. As we come to the end of the first quarter of the 21st Century, it is clear Nurses are in the frontline of all the major global health challenges the world faces, from war and conflict to climate change. This year, the realities of the health impacts of global warming are blatantly evident, as are the terrible consequences of natural and human-made disasters, and the awful toll of armed conflict on civilians, nurses and other health professionals who no longer seem to be afforded the protection that they are legally entitled to under international humanitarian laws. ICN’s #NursesforPeace campaign has been able to deliver much-needed equipment, funds and education opportunities to nurses in many war-torn areas around the globe, thanks to the extremely generous donations we have received from individual nurses, organizations and members of the public. Very few countries have enough nurses to make the World Health Organization’s (WHO) goal of Universal Health Coverage a reachable target, and the quick-fix solution of recruiting nurses from overseas is no substitute for countries being self-sufficient in their supply of registered nurses. An unwelcome side-effect of the international recruitment we have seen in the past few years is a brain drain of some of the most experienced and highly educated nurses from the most vulnerable of countries. Through its work with its member National Nurses Associations, ICN continues to shape and unite the profession and make the collective voices of nurses heard at the highest level of policymaking. Societies flourish when their nurses are properly supported: witness the theme of this year’s International Nurses Day, The Economic Power of Nursing. Next year’s second edition of the State of the World’s Nursing report will give us the most up to date picture of the state of the profession globally in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the support to the profession needs to continue to deliver health for all.