- To date, less than half of all newborns in the world are breastfed during their first hour of life.
- It is estimated that only 44% of babies are exclusively breastfed in the first six months of life.
- The WHO and Unicef announced four actions that must be applied to reinforce breastfeeding.
As happens every year, during the first seven days of August the World Breastfeeding Week. The objective is to promote this practice for all the benefits it brings to both the woman and the baby. The problem is that currently the lowest figures in recent decades are recorded.
With the above in mind, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) They released a joint statement. They point out that global crises, supply chain crises and insecurity threaten the health and nutrition of millions of babies and children like never before.
Is World Breastfeeding Week, both UN agencies call on governments to allocate greater resources to protect, promote and support policies and programs. This indication goes with special emphasis for the most vulnerable families living in emergency situations.
Safe, nutritious and accessible food
Likewise, it is mentioned that during emergencies, including those in Afghanistan, Yemen, Ukraine, the Horn of Africa, and the vast African region of the Sahel, breastfeeding guarantees a safe, nutritious and accessible source of food for babies and young children.
“It offers a powerful line of defense against disease and all forms of childhood malnutrition, including wasting. Breastfeeding also acts as a baby’s first vaccination, protecting it from common childhood illnesses.”
Global lactation deficit
According to the UN, less than half of all newborns are breastfed in the first hour of life, which makes them more vulnerable to disease and death. While only 44% of babies are exclusively breastfed in the first six months of life, short of the targeted World Health Assembly target of 50% by 2025.
“Protecting, promoting and supporting breastfeeding is more important than ever, not only to protect our planet as the first ultimate natural and sustainable food system, but also for the survival, growth and development of millions of babies.”
Recommendations to increase breastfeeding among the population
The directors general of these agencies mentioned that to increase the number of breastfed babies around the world, governments, donors, civil society and the private sector must focus on four key areas.
- Prioritize investment in policies and programs to support breastfeeding, especially in situations of fragility and food insecurity.
- Equip health and nutrition workers in facilities and communities with the skills they need to provide quality advice and practical support to mothers.
- Protect caregivers and health workers from being influenced by the unethical marketing of the infant formula industry through the full adoption and implementation of the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes, including in humanitarian contexts .
- Implement family-friendly public health policies and initiatives that give mothers the time, space, and support they need to breastfeed.