Unicef, WHO push breastfeeding

MANILA, Philippines - The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have drummed up calls for all babies to be breastfed exclusively for the first six months of their lives.

In a joint statement, UNICEF and WHO said this is the best way to provide infants with the nutrients they need.

The call was made in line with the celebration of World Breastfeeding Week from Aug. 1 to 7.

UNICEF executive director Anthony Lake and WHO director general Margaret Chan noted that nutritious complementary foods should then be added while continuing to breastfeed for up to two years or beyond.

“We know that breastfeeding helps children to survive and thrive – enabling infants to withstand infections, providing critical nutrients for the early development of their brains and bodies, and strengthening the bond between mothers and their babies,” the two officials said.

They assured the public that the benefits of breastfeeding last a lifetime.

Meanwhile, the theme of this year’s breastfeeding week – “Breastfeeding and Work – Let’s make it work!” – focuses on what the world can do to help millions of working mothers give their babies the best possible start in life – by supporting stronger workplace policies that promote breastfeeding.

Citing a recent Lancet study, Lake and Chan said infants who were breastfed for at least one year went on to stay in school longer, score higher on intelligence tests and earn more as adults than those who were breastfed for only a month.

Despite this growing evidence, only 38 percent of infants around the world today are breastfed exclusively for even the recommended first six months of their lives.

And while breastfeeding rates have increased in all regions of the world, global progress has stalled.

The World Health Assembly has set a global target of increasing exclusive breastfeeding rates for children under six months of age to at least 50 percent by 2025.

To achieve this ambitious goal, all the barriers to breastfeeding must be tackled, UNICEF and WHO said.

“Governments should lead the charge by making breastfeeding a policy priority in national development plans, increasing resources for programming that supports breastfeeding and working with communities and families to promote the full benefits of breastfeeding,” they added.

But more should be done to overcome an obstacle that prevents potentially millions of women from breastfeeding – workplace policies that do not support the right of working mothers to breastfeed their babies on the job.

According to Lake and Chan, of the approximately 830 million women workers in the world, a majority do not benefit from workplace policies that support nursing mothers.