As part of World Breastfeeding Week, UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO) called on world governments to allocate more resources to protect, promote and support breastfeeding policies and programs, particularly for the most vulnerable families living in emergency situations.
In a joint statement UNICEF and WHO urged governments to make breastfeeding programs a priority amid global crises that threaten the health and nutrition of millions of babies and children.
“In emergencies such as those in Afghanistan, Yemen, Ukraine, the Horn of Africa and the Sahel, breastfeeding ensures a safe, nutritious and accessible food source for infants and young children. It provides a strong line of defense against disease and all forms of childhood malnutrition, including wasting.
The affiliated organizations of the United Nations emphasized that breastfeeding also works as the first vaccine for babies, to protect them from common childhood diseases.
However, UNICEF emphasized: “Emotional stress, physical exhaustion, lack of space and privacy, and poor hygiene conditions faced by mothers in emergencies mean that many babies are unable to reap the survival benefits of breastfeeding.”
Meanwhile, the WHO stressed that less than half of newborns worldwide are breastfed for the first hour of life, making babies more vulnerable to disease and death.
Only 44% of babies are exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life, falling short of the World Health Assembly target of 50% by 2025.
“Promoting and supporting breastfeeding is more important than ever, not only to protect our planet as the first natural and sustainable food system, but also for the survival, growth and development of millions of infants,” the statement added.
In this sense, UNICEF and WHO called on governments, donors, civil society and the private sector to increase efforts to prioritize investment in strategies and programs to support breastfeeding, particularly in contexts of poor and insecure nutrition.
Some of the recommendations were to “equip health and nutrition workers in institutions and communities with the skills they need to provide mothers with quality advice and practical support for successful breastfeeding”.
UN agencies also called for family-friendly policies that give mothers the time, space and support they need to breastfeed.