Africa: On World Breastfeeding Week, Countries Urged to Invest in Health Systems and Support Breastfeeding Mothers

Africa: On World Breastfeeding Week, Countries Urged to Invest in Health Systems and Support Breastfeeding Mothers


Geneva/New York — Joint statement by WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell

“Breastfeeding is one of the most effective ways to ensure a baby’s health, development, and survival in the earliest stages of life. It acts as their first vaccine, providing protection against diseases including diarrhoea and pneumonia.

“Investing in breastfeeding is an investment in the future, yet only 48 per cent of infants under six months are exclusively breastfed – well below the World Health Assembly target of 60 per cent by 2030. This is due to the overlapping challenges for new mothers, health workers, and health systems.

“Millions of mothers around the world do not receive timely and skilled support in a healthcare setting, when they need it most.

“Only a fifth of countries include infant and young child feeding training for the doctors and nurses who care for new mothers. This means the majority of the world’s mothers leave hospitals without proper guidance on how to breastfeed their babies and when to introduce complementary feeding.

“In many countries, health systems are too often under-resourced, fragmented, or poorly equipped to deliver quality, consistent, evidence-based breastfeeding support.

“Investment in breastfeeding support remains critically low even though every dollar invested generates US$35 in economic returns.

“As we mark World Breastfeeding Week under the theme, “Prioritise breastfeeding: Create sustainable support systems”, WHO and UNICEF are calling on governments, health administrators, and partners to invest in high-quality breastfeeding support, by: