Media Release IBFAN 23 May 2009


Voices of 45000 People Reach World Health Assembly with a Call to Save  
Newborn Lives

This week, IBFAN, the International Baby Food Action Network, made a  
clear call when it launched its ‘One Million Campaign: Support Women  
to Breastfeed’ (www.onemillioncampaign.org) at World Health Assembly.   
The IBFAN team submitted a petition to the President of World Health  
Assembly, Mr. NS de Silva, signed by more than 45000 people from 161  
countries.

Mr. de Silva said as he received the petition: “…In Sri Lanka we have  
very specific indicators……with our campaign for promoting   
(exclusive)breastfeeding, it  has come to 78% , we are happy about it,  
and we want the Asia region, and whole world should promote this  
concept !”

The petition demands concrete support systems for breastfeeding women  
to increase the coverage of early and exclusive breastfeeding. This  
would help save more than one million newborn and infant lives  
annually, as well improve the health of their mothers. Needless to  
say, it will also set a path for healthy adult life.

Dr. Arun Gupta, the regional coordinator of IBFAN Asia, went on to  
present the demands of the petition to the World Health Assembly,  
urging the Assembly to adopt a resolution in 2010 to deal with 4 key  
issues. First, to prepare a specific plan of action on infant feeding  
which is budgeted and coordinated in the same way as action plans for  
immunisation. Second, to ensure the end of promotion of baby milks and  
foods intended for children under 2 years in a time-bound manner, that  
is by 2015. Third, to end partnerships in the area of infant and young  
child feeding and nutrition with commercial sector corporations that  
present conflicts of interests. And fourth, to create support and  
maternity entitlements for women both in the formal and informal  
sectors, so that mothers and babies can stay close to each other for  
six months at least.

Today, the World Health Organisation recognised the importance for  
infants to be exclusively breastfed: at the launch of the World Health  
Statistics Report 2009, for the first time, this key indicator was  
included in the statistics. While including an indicator on exclusive  
breastfeeding is good step forward, says Alison Linnecar, of IBFAN,  
"Early and exclusive breastfeeding should be monitored in the process  
of tracking progress of Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 4 goal of  
child survival, both nationally and globally".

The report reveals that about only 48 million of 135 million babies  
born are able to benefit from exclusive breastfeeding, due to reasons  
such as aggressive promotion of baby milks and baby foods and lack of  
supportive health systems.

Many countries have still to enact national legislation to end this  
promotion in compliance with  the International Code of Marketing of  
Breastmilk Substitutes that was adopted by the World Health Assembly  
in 1981. Says Annelies Allain of IBFAN “Action must be accelerated on  
this crucial intervention”.

According to Dr Gupta, "There is an increasing trend towards  
mobilising public private partnerships in these areas, which is not  
healthy. These are a way for corporations to increase their  
profits….It is business for corporations meeting their basic  
objectives. Commercial interference on parents’ infant feeding  
decisions  should end."

Contacts:

Arun Gupta, IBFAN Asia
Phone: +91119899676306
E-mail: [log in to unmask]

  Alison Linnecar IBFAN Geneva
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