[pronut-hiv] WABA 15th Anniversary * 14 February 2006

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[wabapenang] WABA 15th Anniversary * 14 February 2006

Celebrating 15 years of the Innocenti Declaration targets!
  
On the occasion of WABA's 15th anniversary, we celebrate 15 years of 
achievements of the Innocenti Declaration targets (due August 2005). 
WABA was born on 14 February 1991 to act on the Innocenti targets, 
specifically through large scale social mobilisation such as the 
annual World Breastfeeding Week, information, networking and global 
advocacy. 

 Together with its core partners (IBFAN, ILCA, LLLI, LINKAGES, 
Wellstart International and ABM)* in the global breastfeeding 
movement, and the two lead UN agencies on children and health, 
UNICEF and WHO, WABA shares in the achievements of the Innocenti 
targets and has recently jointly celebrated the 15th anniversary in 
Florence, Italy, in November 2005. The meeting highlighted the 
achievements in each of the four target areas, noting also progress 
on the additional targets of the Global Strategy for Infant and 
Young Child Feeding. The key messages document entitled "Celebrating 
Innocenti 1990-2005: Achievements, challenges and future 
imperatives" provides a summary of the global achievements as well 
as the challenges still needing a concerted response (see 
http://innocenti15.net/). Among the key achievements include:

A 15% increase in rates of exclusive breastfeeding in the developing 
world in the first 10 years alone. Some countries doubled, tripled 
and even quadrupled their rates; 
More than 50 countries have set up some form of national 
breastfeeding authority; 
More than 19,000 maternity facilities in 150 countries have been 
designated baby friendly; 
Sixty-four countries have laws or regulations implementing the Code 
and subsequent WHA resolutions  compared to only 9 countries in 
1990; 
Fifty-nine countries have ratified at least one of the three ILO 
Conventions on maternity protection, while maternity leave has been 
extended from 12 to 14 weeks in the new Convention 183.
 
To this, WABA would add other achievements, such as: 

The greater role and recognition of mother support and community 
support systems in contributing towards increased breastfeeding 
rates worldwide; 
Ensuring breastfeeding on the agenda of others fora and movements 
through global advocacy and outreach to new partners; 
The inclusion of human rights as a fundamental principle and more 
recently gender equality, and men's involvement, in breastfeeding 
advocacy work.
 
Over the past 15 years, a great deal of progress was made but much 
more still needs to be done. Dr. Felicity Savage best describes it:

"The Innocenti Declaration, the work that led to it, and the energy 
that sprung from it, made breastfeeding promotion into a vital 
public health issue. The last 15 years have wrought a revolution in 
our thinking about child health with infant feeding as the basis of 
it. But let no-one fall into the trap of thinking that the job has 
been done: it is only just beginning - and we need Innocenti + 15 to 
make the world realise that."

For WABA, fifteen years is just one more wave in the revolution to 
improve infant feeding practices and better child survival, growth 
and development. Nevertheless, we need to celebrate this milestone 
so that as a movement we maintain the energy and gather sustenance 
for the next 15 years, or even the next 100 years. 

WABA looks towards the new Declaration adopted at the 15th 
Anniversary meeting to inspire us in the next phase in order to 
respond to the surmounting challenges of poverty, the HIV pandemic, 
natural and human-made emergencies, neo-liberal globalisation, 
environmental contamination, weakening health systems, gender 
inequities and women's increasing employment outside the home, 
including the non-formal sector. The Innocenti + 15 Declaration** 
calls on all parties to have greater commitment and increased action 
to bring about an environment that enables mothers, families and 
other caregivers to make informed decisions about optimal feeding, 
and to have skilled practical support in order to ensure the highest 
attainable standard of health and development for infants and young 
children. WABA is committed to acting on the new Innocenti 
Declaration and calls on all its partners and endorsers globally and 
locally to support this call for action. 

Today as we celebrate 15 years of progress around the Innocenti, we 
also celebrate and thank all WABA's participants for your collective 
contributions towards this success. Having been born on Valentine's 
Day, WABA continues to be a force for happiness. We wish all WABA 
participants a Happy 15th Birthday, a Happy Valentine's Day, and may 
the spirit of love - which is the heart of all our work around 
breastfeeding, children and families - continue to bring you joy, 
meaning and courage in our efforts ahead!

 
* Abbreviations:

ABM    - Academy for Breastfeeding Medicine

IBFAN  - International Baby Food Action Network

ILCA    - International Lactation Consultants Association

LLLI     - La Leche League International 


** The Innocenti + 15 Declaration is being finalised and will be put 
up on the WABA website shortly and a copy sent to you in due course. 
For more information on Innocenti 15, please visit 
http://innocenti15.net 

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The World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) is a global 
network of individuals and organisations concerned with the 
protection,  promotion and support of breastfeeding worldwide based 
on the Innocenti Declaration, the Ten Links for Nurturing the Future 
and the WHO/UNICEF Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child 
Feeding. Its core partners are International Baby Food Action 
Network (IBFAN), La Leche League International (LLLI), International 
Lactation Consultant Association (ILCA), Wellstart International, 
Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine (ABM) and LINKAGES. WABA is in 
consultative status with UNICEF and an NGO in Special Consultative 
Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations 
(ECOSOC). 
 
WABA, PO Box 1200, 10850 Penang, Malaysia
Tel: 604-658 4816 Fax: 604-657 2655
Email: waba@streamyx.com 
Website:www.waba.org.my