In September 2015 the nations of the world signed up to the ambitious goal of ensuring that everyone in the world should have access to health care – universal health coverage – and that nobody should be left behind. This report makes the very simple point that universal health coverage cannot possibly be achieved without strengthening nursing globally. This is partly about increasing the number of nurses, but also crucially about making sure their contribution is properly understood and enabling them to work to their full potential. The report goes on to argue that strengthening nursing will have the triple impact of improving health, promoting gender equality and supporting economic growth. Much of what is said here will be familiar to nursing leaders, but they alone cannot bring about the changes that are needed. Politicians, non-nursing health leaders and others must work with them to create radical changes in how nurses are perceived and in what they are permitted and enabled to do. (AU)