6th ICN and TWNA Leadership For Change Programme
Workshop 2 and Training of Trainers
July 26-31 2025, Taipei Taiwan
August 1st, 2025
On July 31, nineteen nurse leaders from Taiwan, Belize and Malaysia graduated from the 6th cohort of the ICN Leadership for Change (LFC) Program conducted by the International Council of Nurses (ICN) and the Taiwan Nurses Association (TWNA).
During the graduation ceremony, TWNA President Mei-Nan Liao extended heartfelt congratulations to all the new graduates for successfully completing the 6th ICN LFC and Training of Trainers (TOT) programs and encouraged them to empower themselves. She said ““Empowerment” is the watchword of the new ICN President. In that spirit, I encourage you to use the knowledge and skills you have gained through the LFC Program to empower your colleagues, drive transformation within your organizations, and contribute to building a better future.”
ICN CEO Howard Catton praised President Mei-Nan Liao’s steadfast leadership and TWNA’s long-standing support to the LFC Program. Addressing the graduates, he underscored the vital role of nurses as frontline responders to global health challenges, and said “We need to have clear, strong, authoritative leadership voices in how our health services are organized and managed. I want you to be absolutely confident in your abilities and your voices, because your contributions will strengthen the healthcare that is being delivered in your country. I wish you good luck and I hope that I will see many of you in Taipei in 2027 for the ICN Congress.”
ICN Board Member and TWNA Vice President Dr. Ching-Min Chen highlighted TWNA’s contribution in advancing nursing leadership globally. “TWNA has played a unique role in the global initiatives of leadership for change program, as TWNA is the only organization that blends both international and local participants. This integration of global and local perspectives makes your learning experience not only richer and more unique, but also more impactful.”
Ms. Ya-Lin Lee, Section chief of the Department of Nursing and Health Care in the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW), shared Taiwan’s recent inter-ministerial collaboration in nursing workforce policy development. She emphasized the critical role of public-private partnerships and policy engagement. “As we share our achievements, we also highlight the critical role of collaboration and the collective action in shaping resilience health systems. Nursing leadership must be closely connected to public policy. We aim to drive meaningful change at both national and global levels, and I believe the partnerships you have built through the program will last well beyond today.”
Senior Executive Officer Fen-Man Wu from NGO International Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) applauded TWNA’s achievements, including being selected to host the 2027 ICN Congress and Dr. Ching-Min Chen being elected to the ICN Board. “The is the epitome of Taiwan’s growing influence and professionalism in global health. The inclusion of participants from Belize and Malaysia reflects Taiwan’s ongoing effort to strengthen international ties through medical diplomacy. I trust that the friendship built here will continue to grow and foster deeper connections among our nations.”
Dr. Kristine Qureshi, Professor Emeritus at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, USA, and LFC trainer, acknowledged the support and collaborative efforts of TWNA, MOHW, and MOFA. “You share the vision of TWNA to support and enhance nursing. If you strengthen and support nursing, you actually support health of the people in your country.” Addressing the graduates, she said, “this is the end of the LFC workshop, but it's the beginning of your journey to effect change.”
Dr. Lian-Hua Huang, TWNA ICN LFC Consultant, congratulated the participants on completing the LFC Program and encouraged the graduates to showcase their achievements at the ICN Congress 2027. “I am delighted to see TWNA invest in nursing leadership. I want to congratulate 19 LFC trainees. You have successfully completed the LFC leadership training. With your commitment and investment to your leadership pathway, your nursing leadership future will be remarkable. We hope you submit your change project abstract to ICN Congress 2027 here in Taipei.”
The ICN LFC Program aims to prepare the participants with the leadership skills that are required to implement organizational change and achieve better health outcomes. TWNA has successfully hosted 6 cohorts of the ICN LFC Program since 2015 and cultivated 127 nurse leaders, 31 of whom are from Indonesia, Myanmar, Vietnam, Mexico, Mongolia, Philippines, Saint Lucia, Argentina, Cambodia, Paraguay, Malaysia and Belize.