US MERA is pleased to welcome the International Center for Traditional Childbearing (ICTC) to the US MERA coalition. We are looking forward to working with ICTC representatives at our leadership meeting in April. US MERA was formed in direct response to the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) Global Standards for Education, Regulation and Association issued in 2011 as complements to the ICM Definition of a Midwife and the ICM Essential Competencies for Basic Midwifery Practice. Our organizations’ understanding and endorsement of the ICM standards and the global vision for midwifery inspired us to come together to ensure the alignment of