SUN countries in Asia share experiences about the protection of breastfeeding via webinar

On 2 July 2014, a webinar on the protection of breastfeeding was held to share experience between SUN countries in Asia. Dr. Le Danh Tuyen of the National Institute of Nutrition in Vietnam and Dr. Lalith Chandradasa of the National Nutrition Secretariat Sri Lanka invited SUN Focal Points and their multi-stakeholder teams in SUN countries in Asia to participate in the webinar. The objectives of the webinar were:

• To share successful country experiences in mobilizing governments to promote, protect, and support breastfeeding
• To stimulate action in countries to improve breastfeeding policies and practices based on the lessons learned

Eight SUN countries participated in the webinar including SUN Government Focal Points and members of their multi-stakeholder platforms. Participants gathered in UNICEF offices in each country to take part in the meeting and the webinar was facilitated by UNICEF and Alive & Thrive.

The webinar began with two country presentations, from Sri Lanka and Vietnam. Comments and questions from other countries followed. All participating countries were given the space to share highlights of their experiences and successes in country including breastfeeding policies, maternity leave and regulations related to the Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes.

Read a full summary, list of participants and see the country presentations