Dear colleagues,

You are invited to join us for the online launch of the 2020 Status Report on the National Implementation of the Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes, on May 28, 2020 at 03:00 PM (CEST).

The COVID-19 pandemic highlights the importance of protecting optimal nutrition, including breastfeeding, to improve child health and survival. Formula manufacturers are exploiting the panic and fears of contagion to intensify their aggressive marketing practices. In this context, government action to regulate the marketing of breast-milk substitutes has never been greater. The International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes and subsequent relevant World Health Assembly resolutions (“the Code”) spell out key legal safeguards against industry practices that undermine breastfeeding.

The World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, and the International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN) will launch the 2020 Status Report that highlights which countries have implemented measures required by the Code. Given the important role of health workers in protecting pregnant women, mothers and their infants from inappropriate promotion of breast-milk substitutes, the 2020 report provides an extensive analysis of legal measures taken to prohibit promotion to health workers and in health facilities.

We will hear from WHO, UNICEF, and IBFAN as well as key health care professionals, government officials, and mothers’ support groups. The event will describe why governments should pay particular attention to protecting families and discuss the challenges in the context of COVID.

To join us for the online launch of the 2020 Status Report, kindly register in advance: https://who.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_8taelhVFSDyune_tdre9Yw  

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the launch event.

Thank you for sharing the event broadly and disseminating it with your networks.