The World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) have called for holistic support to improve exclusive and equal access to breastfeeding support as the world marks World Breastfeeding Awareness Week.
Celebrated annually from August 1 to August 7, this year’s campaign, themed “Closing the Gap: Breastfeeding Support for All,” emphasizes the importance of enhancing breastfeeding support to ensure the health and well-being of mothers and babies.
A statement published by Catherine Russell (UNICEF Executive Director) and Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (WHO Director-General) reads that an estimated 4.5 billion people, or more than half of the world’s population, do not have full access to key health services.
This results in many women not receiving the assistance they require to properly nurse their newborns, which involves access to professional and respectful health guidance and counselling throughout a woman’s nursing experience.
It also reported a significant increase in exclusive breastfeeding among infants under six months of age, saving over 820,000 lives each year.
“This progress brings us closer to the World Health Organization’s target of 50% exclusive breastfeeding by 2025. However, challenges persist, and support for mothers is important for achieving this goal,” it said.
Breastfeeding support is crucial in addressing healthcare inequalities, but only half of countries collect data on breastfeeding rates. Improving monitoring systems will enhance the effectiveness of breastfeeding policies, inform better decision-making, and ensure adequate financing for support systems.
Investing in family-friendly employment policies, regulation of breast milk substitute marketing, and investment in breastfeeding are also essential.
It concluded that when breastfeeding is protected and supported, women are more than twice as likely to breastfeed their infants, and to achieve this, it has to be a shared responsibility. Families, communities, healthcare workers, policymakers, and other decision-makers all play a central role by:
- Increasing funding for programs and policies that promote breastfeeding
- Including monitoring family-friendly workplace regulations such as paid maternity leave and nursing breaks
- Monitoring breastfeeding programs and policies that enhance breastfeeding rates
- Restricting the marketing of breast milk substitutes, with breaches being reported regularly
Source: WHO
