ILCA’s Global Advocacy Adviser, Lisa Mandell, attended panel 1 of HLM4 at the United Nations (UN) headquarters in New York City on 25 September to advocate for breastfeeding as an important strategy in reducing noncommunicable diseases and supporting mental health and wellbeing.
ILCA’s Global Advocacy Adviser, Lisa Mandell, attended panel 1 of HLM4 at the United Nations (UN) headquarters in New York City on 25 September to advocate for breastfeeding as an important strategy in reducing noncommunicable diseases and supporting mental health and wellbeing.
ILCA’s Global Advocacy Adviser, Lisa Mandell, attended panel 1 of HLM4 at the United Nations (UN) headquarters in New York City on 25 September to advocate for breastfeeding as an important strategy in reducing noncommunicable diseases and supporting mental health and wellbeing.
The International Lactation Consultant Association (ILCA) is a non-state actor in special relations with the World Health Organization (WHO), and wants to highlight the importance of the work WHO does to improve global health through the protection, promotion, and support of breastfeeding, including protection from predatory marketing of products covered by the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes (Code). It is vital this work continues.
WHO recommends that:
WHO is instrumental in encouraging countries to enact legislation to implement the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes, and works with UNICEF and IBFAN to report a global update on the status of Code implementation every two years. Additionally, WHO spearheads NetCode, to strengthen country and civil society efforts to monitor the Code.
Along with UNICEF, WHO has called on all maternity facilities to implement the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding as part of the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI), and provides training materials to support implementation.
WHO, often working with UNICEF, has provided valuable research and many guidelines and other publications to support breastfeeding, including the Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding.
ILCA supports all countries to maintain their commitment to WHO to advance global health.
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