Breastfeeding is a critical component of infant and young child feeding, providing protection against child morbidity and associated with enhanced human capital in adulthood. Support for breastfeeding is gaining momentum across the globe as highlighted during this year’s World Breastfeeding Week, which took place August 1 – 7. The Malawi Ministry of Health encouraged breast milk pumping and parliamentarians in Sierra Leone prioritized breastfeeding with a two-day dialogue on the topic. Research finds that scaling up breastfeeding practices improved health in Bangladesh and Vietnam, while the UN has highlighted the need for more investments in breastfeeding, which could offer huge economic returns. Recognizing these potential gains, UNICEF and WHO have launched a new Global Breastfeeding Collective as a partnership of 20 international agencies with the goal of increasing investment in breastfeeding worldwide.
Additional highlights from this week’s Compact2025 News in Brief include:
- In Sudan, FAO launched a $72 million Country Programming Framework for 2017-2020 to enhance food security and nutrition, support sustainable agriculture, and build resilience.
- A national review of Uganda’s readiness to end hunger and malnutrition by 2030 finds limited policy options for food reserves and land tenure challenges hinder the country’s food security and nutrition.
- The SUN Movement Global Gathering 2017 will bring together SUN focal points and partners in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire on November 7-9.
