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Elsevier has created a COVID-19 resource centre with free information in English and Mandarin on the novel coronavirus COVID-19. The COVID-19 resource centre is hosted on Elsevier Connect, the company's public news and information website. Elsevier hereby grants permission to make all its COVID-19-related research that is available on the COVID-19 resource centre-including this research content-immediately available in PubMed Central and other publicly funded repositories, such as the WHO COVID database with rights for unrestricted research re-use and analyses in any form or by any means with acknowledgement of the original source. These permissions are granted for free by Elsevier for as long as the COVID-19 resource centre remains active.

The effectiveness of healthcare is inextricably linked to the state of the nursing profession. The second report of the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response said, "The world was not prepared, and must do better," arguing that "the covid-19 pandemic must be a catalyst for fundamental and systemic change in preparedness for future such events, from the local community right through to the highest international levels." 1 Frailties in healthcare systems, exposed by the covid-19 pandemic, reinforce the urgent need for all governments to invest heavily in nursing to bring about such fundamental change. 2 3

The World Health Organization (WHO)-declared Year of the Nurse and the Midwife coincided with a decade of action to achieve the 17 United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by the year 2030 (UN, 2015; UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 2020a; see Figure 1). With a holistic focus on people, planet, peace, prosperity, and partnership, the SDGs continue to represent a moral ideal where all populations know the experience of living in a safe, inclusive, and just world where no one is left behind. Although achieving this vision remains possible, strategic action for implementation is needed to judiciously address substantive inequities within and between countries related to the SDGs. The purpose of this discussion article is to highlight ongoing and emergent roles of nurses and midwives in advancing the SDG targets by 2030 at the intersection of social and economic inequity, the climate crisis, interprofessional partnership building, and the rising status and visibility of the profession worldwide.

The Pacific Islands countries consist of thousands of isolated islands with a combined population of over 10 million people. It is a heterogeneous and diverse region culturally, linguistically economically and politically. Health challenges are considerable and healthcare systems are often overstretched. Framed in the context of the World Health Organisation's strategic directions and policy priorities, this paper describes an account of collaboration across these countries to develop leadership skills in the nursing and midwifery professions. It outlines lessons for nursing leadership, healthcare policy development and the valuable role of Government Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officers. The South Pacific Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officers Alliance (SPCNMOA) is a cooperative partnership, which was formed to improve the quality of healthcare in the region. It acts as an enabler to promote leadership skills and provide a safe space for learning, developing policy and the sharing of good practice. Through mentorship programs, international meetings and strong relationship-building, the SPCNMOA has strengthened partnerships within the region and improved community health services in even the most remote areas. By strengthening leadership and collaboration, these health professionals are now recognised by key policy makers as knowledgeable experts who have a legitimate role in guiding policy development, changing practice and delivering health policy improvements at local, country and international levels.