The United Nations (UN) World Breast Feeding (WBW) week is annually celebrated worldwide during the first week of August, from 1st to 7th to raise awareness about breastfeeding and its benefits.
- Its main aim is to support and encourage breastfeeding as a vital aspect of health and well-being for both mother and child.
- WBW was 1st observed in 1992.
WBW 2023: Theme
i.According to WHO, theme for 2023 is “Let’s make breastfeeding and work, work”.
- The theme will focus on breastfeeding and work, to advocate maternity rights, maternity leave for a minimum of 18 weeks and workplace accommodations.
ii.The World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) has set a theme for WBW 2023 – “Enabling breastfeeding: making a difference for working parents.”
Note -The theme is aligned with thematic area 4 of the WBW-Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030 campaign.
Background:
As per WABA, WBW was started in 1992 to mark the anniversary of the Innocenti Declaration in August 1990 in Florence, Italy.
Innocenti Declaration
The Declaration was produced and adopted by participants at the WHO/UNICEF policymakers’ meeting on “Breastfeeding in the 1990s: A Global Initiative”, co-sponsored by the United States Agency for International Development (A.I.D.) and the Swedish International Development Authority (SIDA), held at the Spedale degli Innocenti, Florence, Italy, on 30 July- 1 August 1990.
ii.In 2016, the week aligned its mission with the UN SDG and began promoting various strategies to encourage breastfeeding naming it WBW-SDGs Campaign
iii.In 2018, the WHO adopted a resolution and endorsed WBW as an important breastfeeding promotion strategy.
WABA objectives for World Breastfeeding Week 2023:
i.Inform people about working parents’ perspectives on breastfeeding and parenting
ii.Anchor optimal paid leave and workplace support as important tools to enable breastfeeding
iii.Engage with individuals and organizations to enhance collaboration and support for breastfeeding at work
iv.Galvanize action on improving working conditions and relevant support for breastfeeding
According to WHO:
i.More than half a billion working women are not given essential maternity protections in national laws
ii.Just 20% of countries require employers to provide employees with paid breaks and facilities for breastfeeding or expressing milk
iii.Fewer than half of infants under 6 months of age are exclusively breastfed.
About World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA):
WABA is a global network of individuals and organizations dedicated to the protection, promotion and support of breastfeeding worldwide based on the Innocenti Declaration, the Ten Links for nurturing the Future and the World Health Organization (WHO)/ United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) global strategy for infant and young child feeding.
Chairperson- Felicity Savage
Established- 1991
Headquarters- Penang, Malaysia
