In October 1996, in the city of Trieste, 36 participants from 15 countries of Africa, Asia, Europe, North and South America met. The participants in the meeting agreed that international and national health authorities should take advantage of the great potential of Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) to improve the health and survival of low-birth-weight newborns in the world.

Given the importance of KMC and the need for further research, the participants decided to establish a network, the International Network of Kangaroo Mother Care (INK), in order to promote the use of KMC in all countries within a broad context based on scientific and humanistic evidence about birth and newborn care. INK’s objectives include the dissemination of KMC knowledge, support for the implementation of KMC programs and the exchange of knowledge among researchers. INK will also provide technical training and training materials to institutions, professional associations, non-governmental organizations, national and international agencies, and legally constituted associations.

So far, 13 INK international meetings have been held in different countries and continents with WHO and UNICEF being active participants in each workshop since the creation of the INK. In 2022 the International Kangaroo Mother Care Workshop and Congress took place in the city of Madrid and covered important issues, especially in view of the new WHO recommendations (to start KMC at birth) which was launched during the workshop. We discussed these new recommendations and other issues as the availability of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), adequate nutritional policy and the meaning of stabilization for a premature infant. A summary of the workshop discussion was published this year 2023 (PMID: 37667990, DOI: 10.1111/apa.16960).