UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell and WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus made the call in a joint statement marking the launch of World Breastfeeding Weekobserved annually from August 1-7.
“When mothers get the support they need to breastfeed their babies, everyone benefits. Improving breastfeeding rates could save more than 820,000 children’s lives each year, according to the latest available data,” the researchers said.
Breast milk contains antibodies that protect babies from disease and death. This is especially important during emergencies, when breastfeeding provides a safe, nutritious, and accessible food source for babies and young children.
Breastfeeding also reduces the burden of childhood diseases and the risk of certain cancers and non-communicable diseases for mothers.
to fall short
“Over the past 12 years, the number of babies under six months of age worldwide who are exclusively breastfed has increased by more than 10 percent. This means that 48 percent of babies worldwide now benefit from this healthy start in life,” the agency chiefs said.
While this is a significant step closer to the WHO target of increasing exclusive breastfeeding rates to at least 50 percent by 2025, there are still challenges that need to be addressed.
According to them, an estimated 4.5 billion people – more than half the global population – do not have full coverage for essential health care.
As a result, many women do not receive the support they need to optimally breastfeed their babies, including “trained, empathetic and respectful health advice” and counselling.
Reliable data, supportive policy
“Reliable data collection is essential to address health inequalities and ensure that mothers and families receive timely and effective breastfeeding support,” they continued, noting that currently only half of all countries collect data on breastfeeding rates.
They also added that data should be available on policies that facilitate breastfeeding, including family-friendly employment policies, regulation of the marketing of breast milk substitutes and investment in breastfeeding.
The agency leaders stressed that when breastfeeding is protected and supported, women are twice as likely to breastfeed their babies, and that “this is a shared responsibility”.
They said families, communities, health workers, policymakers and other decision-makers can all play a central role by investing more in programmes and policies that protect and support breastfeeding, through dedicated national budgets.
Other measures include implementing and monitoring family-friendly workplace policies, such as paid maternity leave, breastfeeding breaks, and access to affordable, quality childcare.
They also called for ensuring that mothers at risk in emergency situations or in underrepresented communities receive breastfeeding protection and support as part of their routine health coverage.