Event summary
Recognizing the central role that breastfeeding plays in the health of mothers and babies, and understanding the impact that aggressive and inappropriate marketing of breast-milk substitutes, bottles, and teats has on breastfeeding mothers, the World Health Assembly (WHA) in 1981 adopted the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes. Forty years later, companies continue to disregard the established provisions of the Code, placing commercial interests before infant and population health. Subsequent WHA resolutions have repeatedly called upon national governments to enact, monitor and enforce the provisions of the Code.
While a majority of countries have enacted at least some provisions of the Code in national laws and regulations, gaps and loopholes often remain in the legislation, allowing violations of the Code to persist. Most countries do not have active systems to monitor marketing practices and identify illegal activity. Enforcement provisions are typically weak.
WHO, UNICEF and civil society partner organizations have developed a variety of tools to advocate for Code implementation, better understand the Code, document the extent of BMS marketing, evaluate current laws, develop monitoring systems, and strengthen enforcement mechanisms.
Language
Simultaneous interpretation will be provided in English, French, Spanish, Arabic and Russian for all plenary sessions. Breakout sessions will be conducted separately in each of these languages but without interpretation.
Costs
There is no fee for participation in the Congress. WHO will cover the expenses of the logistics, venue, simultaneous interpretation, and refreshments during breaks. Delegates are expected to identify funding for travel + per diems.
The objectives of this Congress:
- To increase knowledge and skills of national actors on strategies to end the unethical marketing of breast-milk substitutes, bottles, and teats
- To develop national roadmaps/work plans to strengthen legislation, monitoring and enforcement of the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes
- To build regional networks to share information and support of national action on the Code
Who should attend
- Country delegations
- Representatives of the Ministry of Health, Departments of Nutrition, Maternal and Child Health, Food and Drug Control, and Legal Affairs
- Representatives from Ministries of Commerce, Communications, Trade
- Parliamentarians
- UN Agencies that support the government on Code issues
- Non-governmental organizations supporting Code issues
- Civil society organizations working on breastfeeding, consumer protection, human rights
- Academics researching marketing of breast-milk substitutes