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In the last 12 years, the number of infants under six months of age globally who are exclusively breastfed has increased by more than 10%. This means 48% of infants worldwide now benefit from this healthy start in life. It translates to hundreds of thousands of babies whose lives have been saved by breastfeeding, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) reported.

While this significant leap brings us closer to the World Health Organization target of increasing exclusive breastfeeding to at least 50% by 2025, there are persistent challenges that must be addressed.

When mothers receive the support they need to breastfeed their babies, everyone benefits. Improving breastfeeding rates could save over 820,000 children’s lives each year, according to the latest available data.

During this critical period of early growth and development, the antibodies in breastmilk protect babies against illness and death. This is especially important during emergencies, when breastfeeding guarantees a safe, nutritious, and accessible food source for infants and young children. Breastfeeding reduces the burden of childhood illness, and the risk of certain types of cancers and noncommunicable diseases for mothers.

This World Breastfeeding Week, under the theme “Closing the gap: Breastfeeding support for all”, UNICEF and WHO are emphasizing the need to improve breastfeeding support as a critical action for reducing health inequity and protecting the rights of mothers and babies to survive and thrive.

An estimated 4.5 billion people – that’s more than half of the world’s population – do not have full coverage of essential health services, so many women do not receive the support they need to optimally breastfeed their babies. This includes access to trained, empathetic and respectful health advice and counselling throughout a woman’s breastfeeding journey.

Reliable data collection is key to tackling healthcare inequalities and ensuring mothers and families are provided with timely, effective breastfeeding support. Currently, only half of all countries collect data on breastfeeding rates. To support progress, data also needs to be available on policy actions that make breastfeeding possible such as family friendly employment policies, regulation of the marketing of breastmilk substitutes, and investment in breastfeeding. Improving monitoring systems will help boost the effectiveness of breastfeeding policies and programmes, inform better decision-making, and ensure support systems can be adequately financed.

When breastfeeding is protected and supported, women are more than twice as likely to breastfeed their infants. This is a shared responsibility. Families, communities, healthcare workers, policymakers, and other decision-makers all play a central role by:   

• increasing investment in programmes and policies that protect and support breastfeeding through dedicated national budgets;

• implementing and monitoring family friendly workplace policies, such as paid maternity leave, breastfeeding breaks and access to affordable and good-quality childcare;

• ensuring mothers who are at-risk in emergencies or under-represented communities, receive breastfeeding protection and support in line with their unique needs, including timely, effective breastfeeding counselling as part of routine health coverage;

• improving monitoring of breastfeeding programmes and policies to inform and further improve breastfeeding rates; and

• developing and enforcing laws restricting the marketing of breast-milk substitutes, including digital marketing practices, with monitoring to routinely report the Code violations.