Visa Refusals Lock Out African and Asian Midwives From Global Policy Congress

Over 100 midwife leaders called June 12 for urgent reconsideration of visa refusals barring delegates from Africa and Asia from attending the International Confederation of Midwives' 34th Triennial Congress in Lisbon (June 14–18, 2026). The exclusion removes representation from regions bearing the highest maternal mortality burdens and facing acute midwifery workforce shortages—directly skewing which priorities shape global midwifery policy. Portugal's Schengen visa processes, applied by Portuguese or partner-state consulates, remain opaque in their refusal criteria and offer no standard appeals mechanism.