17/12/2025
Over 40 years of commitment
GIFA was established in 1979 as the first office of the IBFAN network. Since its creation, GIFA has been committed to defending a policy in favor of breastfeeding and to fighting, in Switzerland and in other parts of the world, against commercial practices that could be detrimental to it.
Way back in 1979, Nancy-Jo Peck was one of the three founding so-called GIFA Girls, together with Annelies Allain and Judith Philipona. Over the years she worked on almost every possible issue there was to work on in the Geneva office, she got to know almost everybody within the IBFAN entwork, exercised her brilliant critical view on most documents, and knew the intricacies and ins and outs of the numerous issues dealt with in the office – and beyond.
Nancy-Jo developed the «Useful Abstracts» into the better known and well respected Breastfeeding Briefs (translated into 5 langages), bacame their editor and scientific advisor ; she worked specifically on coordinating IBFAN’s technical inputs for the Codex Alimentarius standards ; she helped to integrate breastfeeding issues from IBFAN groups into the reports of the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) ; she followed World Trade Organisation issues and, in later years, became involved in the Code of Ethics for International Trade in Food.
Moreover, she participated actively in most of the major UN conferences of the 1990s, monitored the scientific literature, particularly concerning HIV and infant feeding and reproductive health, worked also on the Medical Textbook Project, and participated actively in the Nestlé Boycott.
Nancy-Jo was a wonderful teamworker, trainer, constructive critc, and a very lovely person, indeed.
IBFAN
Founded in 1979, IBFAN consists of more than 270 institutional members from some 168 countries around the world in 8 regions. These groups are independent and work in accordance with national needs. All IBFAN member groups strive to prevent conflicts of interest and maintain their independence. For this reason, they are committed to not receiving any funding, donations or gifts from the infant food industry, in any form whatsoever.
Film
This film of 7 minutes was shown at the Commemoration Ceremony for the 40 years of the International Code in 2021 sums up IBFAN’s activity and advocacy.