In World Breastfeeding Week, UNICEF and WHO are calling for equal access to breastfeeding support

In the last 12 years, the number of infants under six months of age in the world who are exclusively breastfed has increased by more than 10%. This means that 48% of infants worldwide now benefit from this healthy start to life. That means hundreds of thousands of babies whose lives have been saved by breastfeeding.

While this significant leap brings us closer to the World Health Organization's goal of increasing exclusive breastfeeding to at least 50% by 2025, there are ongoing challenges that must be addressed.

When mothers get the support they need to breastfeed their babies, everyone benefits. Increasing breastfeeding rates could save more than 820,000 children's lives each year, according to the latest available data.

During this critical period of early growth and development, antibodies in breast milk protect babies from illness and death. This is especially important in emergencies, when breastfeeding guarantees a safe, nutritious and accessible source of food for infants and young children. Breastfeeding reduces the burden of childhood diseases and the risk of certain types of cancer and non-communicable diseases for mothers.

This World Breastfeeding Week, under the theme “Bridging the Gap: Supporting Breastfeeding for All”, UNICEF and WHO emphasize the need to improve support for breastfeeding as a key action to reduce health inequality and protect the rights of mothers and babies to survive and thrive.

An estimated 4.5 billion people – more than half of the world's population – do not have full coverage of basic health services, so many women are not getting the support they need to optimally breastfeed their babies. This includes access to trained, compassionate and respectful health advice and counseling throughout a woman's breastfeeding journey.

Reliable data collection is critical to addressing health care disparities and ensuring timely and effective support for breastfeeding mothers and families. Currently, only half of all countries collect data on breastfeeding rates. To support progress, data must also be available on policy measures that enable breastfeeding, such as family-friendly employment policies, regulation of the marketing of breast milk substitutes, and investments in breastfeeding. Improving monitoring systems will help increase the effectiveness of breastfeeding policies and programs, inform better decision-making, and ensure that support systems can be adequately funded.

When breastfeeding is protected and supported, women are twice as likely to breastfeed their children. This is a shared responsibility. Families, communities, health professionals, policy makers and other decision makers play a central role by:

• increasing investment in programs and policies that protect and support breastfeeding through dedicated national budgets;
• implementing and monitoring family-friendly workplace policies, such as paid maternity leave, breastfeeding breaks and access to affordable and quality childcare;
• ensuring that mothers at risk in emergencies or underrepresented communities receive breastfeeding protection and support tailored to their unique needs, including timely, effective breastfeeding counseling as part of routine health care;
• improving monitoring of breastfeeding programs and policies to inform and further improve breastfeeding rates; and
• developing and enforcing laws that restrict the marketing of breast milk substitutes, including digital marketing practices, while monitoring to routinely report violations of the Code.

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About UNICEF

UNICEF works in some of the most difficult places in the world to reach the most disadvantaged children. In more than 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, to build a better world for all.

For more information about UNICEF and its work for children, visit www.unicef.org

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ABOUT WHO

Committed to the well-being of all people and guided by science, the World Health Organization leads and supports global efforts to give everyone, everywhere, an equal opportunity to live a safe and healthy life. We are the UN health agency that connects nations, partners and people on the front lines in more than 150 locations – leading the world's response to health emergencies, preventing disease, addressing the root causes of health problems and expanding access to medicines and healthcare. Our mission is to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable.

For more information about the WHO, visit www.who.int and follow TKO next Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Pinterest, Snapchat, YouTube, Snatch