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Organisations, communities and individuals unite for World Breastfeeding Week 2014
The week of 1 – 7 August was recognised as World Breast Feeding Week (WBW) in 2014, with the slogan and theme, Breastfeeding: A Winning Goal – For Life! WBW is an annual commemoration of the Innocenti Declaration made by World Health Organisation (WHO) and…
August 22, 2014 - Last update: February 10, 2023
The week of 1 – 7 August was recognised as World Breast Feeding Week (WBW) in 2014, with the slogan and theme, Breastfeeding: A Winning Goal – For Life! WBW is an annual commemoration of the Innocenti Declaration made by World Health Organisation (WHO) and UNICEF in 1990 to protect and support breastfeeding. The week is coordinated at a global level by the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) and is part of the Global Breastfeeding Initiative for Child Survival (gBICS). WABA created an online space for organisations, communities and individuals worldwide to pledge their breastfeeding events which includes an interactive map for supporters to find local events.
WBW acts as a global unifying opportunity to raise awareness of the importance of breastfeeding. To mark the occasion, UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake stated in a letter to all country offices that, “This World Breastfeeding Week comes on the heels of the World Cup – which united millions in the spirit of sport. Let’s come together again in the spirit of progress and score for children by making breastfeeding a global priority – to help give every child the best possible start in life.”
The WHO and UNICEF recommendations on breastfeeding are as follows: initiation of breastfeeding within the first hour after the birth; exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months; and continued breastfeeding for two years or more, together with safe, nutritionally adequate, age appropriate, responsive complementary feeding starting in the sixth month.
As countries share their WBW experiences, they will be posted on the SUN Movement website.
View eight ways breastfeeding can contribute to achieving the MDG’s
Read up on the latest information about breastfeeding by UNICEF
Read a blog by Carolyn MacDonald, Nutrition Director at World Vision International
Read a summary about support for breastfeeding by Irish Aid
Learn ten facts on breastfeeding by the World Health Organisation
Read seven breastfeeding stories from seven mothers through a Social Good Moms Storify
Watch this breastfeeding playlist created by Thousand Days
