International Day of the Midwife was first celebrated May 5, 1991, and has since been observed in over 50 nations around the world.
The idea of having a day to recognize and honor midwives came out of the 1987 International Confederation of Midwives conference in the Netherlands. In 2014 it was celebrated in Iran and New Zealand among other places.
Since 1991 the International Day of the Midwife (IDM) on 5 May has provided an annual focal point for midwives, midwifery associations and partners around the world to raise awareness of midwifery and extend the influence of midwives in order to lobby and advocate for policy changes relating to maternal, newborn and reproductive healthcare nationally and internationally.
Source: who.int