ARCH Celebrates World Breastfeeding Week 2017

From August 1-7, we are joining advocates around the world in celebrating breastfeeding as a vital part of sustainable development.

World Breastfeeding Week is an annual reminder of the role we all have to play in creating an enabling environment for families to nourish their children.

The benefits of breastfeeding go far beyond a full belly. Breastfed babies receive protection against disease, allergy, and infection while their mothers have reduced risk of breast and ovarian cancer. Supporting women to breastfeed allows economies to grow and children to thrive- an enduring investment in the health and wealth of nations.

We are calling on countries to take a stand against inappropriate promotion of infant formula and baby foods. Our newest policy brief outlines how governments can protect breastfeeding by adopting the World Health Organization’s Guidance on ending the inappropriate promotion of foods for infants and young children.

This week, we are proud to participate in the launch of the Global Breastfeeding Collective, an effort made up of 20 prominent international agencies and NGOs calling for smart investments in breastfeeding. The Global Breastfeeding Collective envisions a world in which mothers and families everywhere are supported and empowered to breastfeed.

We are also partnering with the SUN Civil Society Network to launch our webinar series “A Civil Society Guide to The International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes and new Global Guidance on Marketing Infant Foods” to bring the global community up to speed on current global regulatory and policy issues related to infant and young child feeding.