GIFA coordinated participation of the IBFAN team at the 67th World Health Assembly. The delegation attended for the first time under IBFAN’s name as the network was in January 2014 granted the Official Relations status with WHO.

Our international team was busy on several issues, including the launches of IBFAN’s Breaking the Rules 2014 and World Breastfeeding Costing initiative. We also called for changes in the resolutions on Maternal infant and Young Child Nutrition and in the Action Plan on Newborn Health.

Together with People’s Health Movement, the Third World Network and NGO members of the Conflict of Interest Coalition (now COI Network), for much of the week we focused on calling for a fundamental rethink on WHO’s Draft Framework for Engagement with Non State Actors. (NSAs) We provided Member States (MS) with briefings. The final WHA decision – adopted on the last evening (24th May) recognised that further consultations, discussions and regional meetings were needed “on issues including conflict of interest and relations with the private sector.” The next deadline is 17th June when Member States must submit comments and questions to WHO. WHO Secretariat has to then prepare by end July 2014 a comprehensive report of the comments made during the 67th WHA as well as to these follow up comments and questions.

On World Breastfeeding Trends initiative refer to Investing in babies.