December 5, 2007 -Bournemouth UK – The 33rd Annual Conference of the Transcultural Nursing Society (TCNS) was held at the University of Bournemouth,19-21 September 2007. During the three-day conference, participants from around the world explored the theme of Human Rights, Migration and Poverty. Presentations focused on the impact these devastating conditions have on the lives of persons, remembering the billions of people---men, women and children--- who are exposed to gross human rights violations daily.

Through the voices of nurses, the conference lifted up the growing evidence linking poverty, hunger and health care access, to inequalities in health suffered by people throughout the world, illuminating the extreme burden of disease suffered by persons living in the developing world. Conference participants articulated support for the United Nation’s Millennium Development goals, particularly because they are dedicated to global actions such as the eradication of poverty, the improvement of the lives of children everywhere, as well as the enhancement of the global environment. Overall, the Conference demonstrated that transcultural nurses are well placed to make a contribution to the global health agenda.

A major concern raised at the conference was the fact that the voices of nurses, the world’s largest category of health care workers, and a discipline that globally provides 80% of direct patient care, is frequently not being heard. As such, the conference urged all international agencies---governmental and non-governmental---to become more inclusive and dynamic in their representation of the nurses’ voices.

Conference participants were positive about a closer collaboration between the Transcultural Nursing Society, International Council of Nurses and the World Health Organization, Nursing Division.