Pink October is an opportunity to highlight the importance of prevention and solidarity with all women affected by breast cancer. Raising awareness also means providing information about protective factors that can help reduce the risk of developing this disease....
GIFA Breastfeeding Afternoon – Training. Date: Tuesday, 7 October 2025, 1:00-3:00 p.m. (online) Title: Fertility and breastfeeding 1st hour: Return of fertility after childbirth. Second hour: The MAMA (Breastfeeding and Amenorrhea Method): natural contraception during amenorrhea while breastfeeding exclusively. Speaker: Dr...
World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) is celebrated in Switzerland in September. This year’s theme is ‘Prioritising breastfeeding: creating sustainable support systems’. World Breastfeeding Week is once again focusing on the environment and climate change. The campaign highlights the importance of...
Heatwave alert. In the summer of 2025, Europe is once again hit by severe heatwaves and very hot weather. We regularly receive questions about giving water to breastfed babies. During the first six months of life, breast milk alone...
Webinar “GIFA Breastfeeding Afternoon” on Tuesday, June 24, 2025, 1 PM – 3 PM (online) Title: “The Baby’s Cries” – A source of confusion, questioning, and also concern for parents. How to interpret them and how to manage them?...
26 May 2025, Note for Media, Geneva Countries commit to regulate the digital marketing of formula milk and baby foods In a new resolution, Member States agreed to expand the provisions of the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk...
“GIFA Breastfeeding Afternoon” – Free online training course (in French) Next date: Tuesday 25 March 2025, 1-3pm (online) Title: ‘Medicines and Breastfeeding’ with a focus on Galactogogues Speaker: Claire Girollet, pharmacist Claire Girollet, IBCLC pharmacist Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83186482713Meeting ID:...
What are the economic benefits in terms of health, both for the State and for families? Breastfeeding offers many financial benefits, both for families and for the state, thanks to its positive effects on health and the reduced costs...
In Baku, the day of 19 November 2024 is devoted to the themes of food, agriculture and water day. These are all issues where breastfeeding can make a difference! Threats to the world’s food supply – the role of...
Tuesday 26 November 2024, 1-3pm. GIFA Breastfeeding afternoon: Breastfeeding and complimentary feeding (online training) in FRENCH Dr Hélène Leyder, paediatrician Participate in the Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81692263686 Meeting ID: 816 9226 3686 No registration required. To obtain a certificate and/or...
In Switzerland, labour law protects breastfeeding if the mother is in work during the child’s first year of life. Since 2014, when Switzerland signed the ILO Convention 183, time spent breastfeeding or expressing milk is counted as paid working...
Pink October is a time to show solidarity with all women suffering from breast cancer. It’s also a time to raise awareness of preventive factors, so as to give ourselves the best chance of escaping the tragedy that is...
The theme of World Breastfeeding Week #wbw2024: Closing the gap: breastfeeding support for all https://worldbreastfeedingweek.org. In Switzerland, WBW is being celebrated this year from 14 to 21 September 2024. It provides an opportunity to talk about the benefits of...
On the occasion of the Olympics 2024 in Paris, let’s share the very important news : Breastfeeding mothers are also athletes ! Crowned World Judo Champion 2023, Clarisse Agbegnenou is a nursing mother, and the news has not gone unnoticed! An...
Launched in 2022, the “Breastfeeding Afternoons” are online training and exchange programs. Their aim is to bring together the many skills and good wills scattered across the canton of Geneva. Each “Breastfeeding Afternoon” is devoted to a theme that...
The International Congress of Nutrition (ICN3) will take place in Paris, 24-29 August 2025 with the theme ‘Sustainable Food for Global Health’. https://iuns.org/2024/05/international-congress-of-nutrition-2025/. This topic has been addressed by IBFAN-GIFA since many years and GIFA participated in the World...
The Swiss group Nestlé adds sugar to certain food products for newborns in poor countries, denounce the RTS, the Basler Zeitung, the Berner Zeitung, the Bund, the NZZ and the Tages-Anzeiger, citing a study by the NGO Public Eye....
Several associations of healthcare professionals (doctors, midwives, lactation consultants, paediatricians) from around the world have signed a motion calling for an end to corporate sponsorship of breast-milk substitutes. This sponsorship includes advertising, but also the funding of conferences, training...
We are delighted to present a new documentary film on breastfeeding: “East meets West for the protection, promotion and support of breastfeeding”. It was created by Stéfanie Rosin (WBTi Germany) during her three-month trip to the Asian countries of...
In February 2024, COFF (the Swiss Federal Commission for Family Affairs) published a Policy Brief stating that breastfeeding is a matter for society as a whole. “Mothers who wish to breastfeed their children should have the opportunity to do...
GIFA Breastfeeding afternoon (online) on Tuesday 12 March 2024, 1-3pm in French “Prolonged breastfeeding: preconceived ideas and current information”. The zoom link will be publishid on 5 March 2024 here Speakers: Learning objectives : Target audience: Anyone in contact...
Will COP28 protect our children’s future and health? Families all over the world are suffering the disastrous impact of global warming on their lives, their health and their livelihoods. They know that their children will be directly affected by...
“Come to the Table” (formerly The Taste Week) is an initiative of the Canton of Geneva to promote the motto “From field to plate – eating locally and in season”. Food is fundamental to health. We develop a taste...
As every year, Geneva University Hospital (HUG) is organising events for World Breastfeeding Week (WBW). During the week of 11-18 September 2023, there will be information stands on breastfeeding (with the participation of GIFA) and workshops. What is WBW...
Health and nutrition claims about infant formula can enhance the perceived benefits of formula over breastfeeding and thereby undermine breastfeeding. Cheung et al have examined the evidence for the health claims made for infant formula by the baby food...
Greenfeeding – or Ecofeeding – stands for eating healthy, sustainable, and ecologically friendly foods, as opposed to ultra-processed foods. As food production has an important share in greenhouse gases and climate change, greenfeeding in « World Nutrition » needs our full...
In emergency situations, nutrition and breastfeeding in particular play a decisive role. Emergencies can be of various types: military conflicts, refugee camps, political crises, terrorist attacks, natural disasters, as well as non-natural disasters such as nuclear accidents, etc. Switzerland...
New Rochelle, NY, March 22, 2023, Publisher’s Abstract—By following normal mother infant physiology, parents can get more sleep. The Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine (ABM) has released new guidelines to help parents manage night-time breastfeeding in young infants. The new...
The Lancet publishes a new series on breastfeeding, following up on the 2016 series that showed the benefits of breastfeeding for developed countries, the health of babies and mothers, and the large savings in healthcare costs. In 2023, the...
To avoid developing a vitamin D (vitD) deficiency, The American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Institute of Health currently (2021) recommend that breastfed and partially breastfed infants be supplemented with 400 IU per day of vitD beginning in...
As world leaders meet in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt for the 27th United Nations Climate Change Conference (Cop 27), IBFAN is calling for restrictions on the global production and trade of ultra-processed (UPFs) plastic-wrapped and additive-laden products. While many nutrition campaigns have focused on excess...
Research has revealed new insight into the biological mechanisms of the long-term positive health effects of breastfeeding. Breastfeeding is known to be associated with better health outcomes in infancy and throughout adulthood, and previous research has shown that babies...
Based on this review of the literature, interventions that extend across pregnancy and postpartum and offer individualized support from both professionals and peers who collaborate through a continuum of settings (e.g., health system, home, and community) are most successful...
Like every year, WBW (World Breastfeeding Week) is celebrated on different dates around the world. In Switzerland, it is in mid-September. The University Hospital of Geneva (HUG) organizes on this occasion : an information stand at the entrance of...
GIFA supports Nanette Jolly’s demand that the the exclusively breastfed child (0-6months) should be the baseline, i.e. the controll group, and to consider anything that deviates from this practice, as « study group ».Instead of showing that breastfed children...
As we celebrate World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) in Switzerland, it is an opportune moment to highlight the economic benefits of breastfeeding. The “Cost Analysis” tool developed by Dr. Dylan Walters and the organization Alive and Thrive was created in...
The second report in a series detailing exploitative marketing practices employed by US$ 55 billion baby formula industry, shows parents, particularly mothers, are being insidiously and persistently targeted online 28 April 2022 WHO News release Geneva Reading time: 3...
Message by Ksenya Solovey, Lactation Consultant in Ukraine: Mothers + babies need to stay warm. Donate clothes, blankets. Send medical supplies. Promote mothers uniting together. Please remember, formula donations will ultimately undermine breastfeeding and in the long-term create poor...
This study by Carina Stone and Julie P Smith finds that meaningful discussion of breastfeeding is overwhelmingly absent from the sexual and reproductive health rights literature, despite several key international human rights instruments protecting women’s rights on breastfeeding. Equally,...
Sign the WHO Letter #EndExploitativeMarketing https://www.who.int/teams/maternal-newborn-child-adolescent-health-and-ageing/formula-milk-industry/endexploitativemarketing-of-formula-milk-products See livestream of the event https://www.who.int/news-room/events/detail/2022/02/23/default-calendar/marketing-the-USD-55-billion-formula-milk-industry We call on manufacturers and distributors of commercial milk formula to #EndExploitativeMarketing of formula milk products. We call on National Governments to enact, monitor, and enforce laws...
Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and partners will launch a new report, How the marketing of formula milk influences our decisions on infant feeding. Wednesday 23 February 2022...
Despite public health efforts to promote breastfeeding, global rates of breastfeeding continue to trail behind the goals identified by the World Health Organization.1 While the literature exploring breastfeeding beliefs and practices is growing, it offers various and sometimes conflicting...
Breastfeeding Medicine Journal – New Rochelle, NY, December 14, 2021—The percentage of infants fully breastfed at 1,3, and 6 months significantly decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic among participants of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children...
IBFAN’s Briefing: The International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes was adopted forty years ago by the World Health Assembly, the world’s highest health policy setting body. The Code, the first consumer protection tool of its kind, was the result of...
Over the last few decades, the demand for breast milk has grown. The message “breast is best” has driven parents and caregivers to buy breast milk. Even the unwell, bodybuilders and “clean eaters” are known to use it. Once...
New Rochelle, NY, September 16, 2021—COVID-19 vaccination results in minimal disruption of lactation. Vaccination also has no adverse impact on the breastfed child, according to two studies published in the peer-reviewed journal Breastfeeding Medicine. Skyler McLaurin-Jiang, MD, MPH, click here...
GIFA invites you to an online thematic meeting as part of World Breastfeeding Week WBW 2021. Alain, father of 3 children and general practitioner, will lead this discussion on the place of the father, his role when the mother...
The recording of the Ceremony and the lectures is online. Let’s celebrate the anniversary of breastfeeding protection together! The International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes was published in 1981. It remains valid as a tool for the protection...
Abstract: The global interest and concern over the COVID-19 pandemic has shifted the attention of governments and international organisations away from urgent problems such as the climate crisis. In most international fora and meetings over the past year, attention...
Early life factors and COVID-19 infection in England: A prospective analysis of UK Biobank participants. A Didikoglu et al. April 2021. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2021.105326 Highlights Low birth weight was associated with hospitalisation due to COVID-19. The odds of contracting COVID-19 were...
Update Dec 9, 2020 What are UPFs? Industrially produced and highly transformed foods. Ultra-processed foods UPF are a risk for health. Some new studies and research. Ultra-Processed Foods and the Corporate Capture of Nutrition BMJ essay by Gyorgy Scrinis...
Resumed online 73rd World Health Assembly 9-14th November 2020 Breastfeeding should be valued and protected worldwide. This is the purpose of the International Code of Marketing of breastmilk substitutes. A new draft Decision to be debated at this week’s resumed 73rd...
The week of taste in Geneva advocates the motto “From field to plate – eating local and seasonal”. Food is fundamental to health. Taste for food is formed from an early age, particularly through breast milk. Each mother’s milk...
World Breastfeeding Week has started in Switzerland (12.9.-19.9 2020) 2020 motto: “Supporting breastfeeding for a healthier planet Breastfeeding is the best choice for the health of the baby, for the health of the mother, for the health of the...
In a USA Citizen’s Petition filed today, children’s health advocates are ramping up pressure on FDA (Food and Drug Administration) to curb the rapidly growing sales of so-called ‘transition formulas’ or ‘toddler milks,’ which they say offer “no unique...
Medical education in breastfeeding remains inadequate despite previous efforts to address the gaps. Additionally, physicians desire more training in breastfeeding, especially clinical skills training, to improve provider confidence and competence, according to a research published in Breastfeeding Medicine. Landscape Analysis...
On May 27, 2020, the State of the Code Report 2020 by WHO, UNICEF and IBFAN has been published. On the occasion of the Launch webinar, the officials emphasised : QUOTE The COVID-19 pandemic highlights the importance of protecting...
Are our babies off to a healthy start? Shocking gaps in emergency preparedness for Europe’s babies, new WBTi World Breastfeeding Trends initiative report highlights. The Covid 19 pandemic has shown how important it is for countries to protect their...
2020 Status Report on the National Implementation of the Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes worldwide. The World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, and the International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN) launched the 2020 Status Report that highlights which countries have implemented measures required by the International...
A recent study by Hacer Tanrikulu et al. (2020) reveals the impact of marketing practices of the breastmilk substitutes industry on public health policy in the USA. In the USA, early nutrition is compromised in the first two years...
In brief: Current recommendations are to initiate or maintain breastfeeding and, if mother-baby separation is necessary, to give pumped breast milk. Immunologic properties transfered to baby through breastfeeding alpha-Lactalbumin (variant) alpha-lactoglobulin alpha2-macroglobulin (like) ß-defensin-1 Bifidobacterium bifidum Carbohydrate Casein CCL28...
The La Leche League International Board has issued a media release about Continuing to Nurse Your Baby Through Coronavirus (2019-nCoV; COVID-19) and Other Respiratory Infections.All of of LLLI resources about breastfeeding and coronavirus are now collated here: https://www.llli.org/coronavirus-resources/ The media...
Feb 2020 – Civil society NGOs attending WHO’s Executive Board meeting ahead of the May World Health Assembly are protesting against a new Decision – drafted by WHO and to be debated now – proposing that in an effort...
IBFAN (International Baby Food Action Network) 40 years old! It’s a milestone, 40 years of tireless and often invisible work behind the scenes of institutions to protect, promote and support breastfeeding. IBFAN is the initiators of the 1981 WHO...
On September 16 2019, the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) conveyed a special celebratory event “30 years of children’s rights: Where we are and where we want to be” at the Palais des Nations...
From May 13 to May 31, 2019, the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC Committee) held its 81st Session in Geneva. The committee elected Luis Ernesto Pederna Reyna as the new chairperson, and welcomed four new members: Bragi...
The 72nd World Health Assembly was held between 20-28 May 2019. This year was not a reporting year on Infant and Young Child Feeding, but IBFAN’s four representatives were there to ensure that breastfeeding protection, promotion and support would...
From January 14 to February 1, 2019, the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC Committee) held its 80th Session in Geneva. The CRC Committee reviewed the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in...
The 144th Session of WHO’s Executive Board was held in Geneva from the 24th of January to the 1st of February 2019. A delegation from IBFAN attended the meeting and delivered statements on several agenda items. In fact, even...
On November 16, 2018, IBFAN Italy organized a conference to officially present the 2018 report on the violations of the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes in Italy: Il Codice Violato (BTR report Italy). Speakers represented IBFAN Italy,...
The 79th session of the Committee on the Rights of the Child was held in Geneva on September 24, 2018. In preparation for this meeting, IBFAN GIFA submitted a summary document to the committee members based on the latest 2015 WBTi report for Niger,...
From September 17 to October 5, 2018, the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC Committee) held its 79th Session in Geneva. The CRC Committee reviewed the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in...
Despite IBFAN’s November 2017 Call to Action, Meridian Institute (MI) convened the Frankfurt meeting, a step in a process towards the initiative originally called Global Monitoring Mechanism (GMM). In analyzing the information contained in the report from the meeting,...
Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Under the High Patronage of the Minister of Health of Burkina Faso, IBFAN GIFA and IBFAN Africa successfully coordinated a training course on monitoring the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes from September 24 to...
As every year, Switzerland celebrates the World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) in September 2018. Many events take place all over the country. GIFA contributed to the event in Geneva during this week. Thanks to an initiative of the midwives at...
Breastfeeding – A matter of human rights is the title of a new interesting presentation developed by IBFAN-GIFA, with funding from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, on this important connection that is too often forgotten. The presentation is...
From May 14 to June 1, 2018, the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC Committee) held its 78th Session in Geneva. The CRC Committee reviewed the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in...
The 71st World Health Assembly, 21-26 May 2018, closed its session leaving nutrition advocates with mixed feelings about the finally adopted Resolution on infant and young child feeding. IBFAN attended the WHA71 with a large team, including representatives from...
Ever since public-private partnerships (PPPs) have been hailed as a key policy model, the World Health Organization (WHO) has been promising to upgrade its conflict of interest measures to ensure its mandate is not jeopardized by overly close relationships...
A very dense agenda characterised the 142nd Session of the Executive Board of WHO, last 22-27 January 2018. IBFAN participated actively in the Session, presenting its concerns to the EB members and to the non-EB Member States delegations. Breastfeeding...
The global recall of Lactalis formula has now reached 83 countries. Nobody could have imagined such a massive impact.. nobody at the French government at least, considering how long it took them to take a decision on the global recall....
In the first week of December 2017, breastfeeding advocates from 8 countries participated in the third round of trainings on the World Breastfeeding Trends Initiative (WBTi) and World Breastfeeding Costing Initiative, organised by BPNI/IBFAN Asia. The group met in...
On November 22-23, 2017, a Special Session of WHO’s Executive Board took place in Geneva, after the closing of the open consultations on the draft Concept Note and draft thirteen General Programme of Work, setting WHO’s targets and priorities...
Villeneuve d’Ascq, France, 17 November 2017. CoFAM (Coordination française pour l’allaitement maternel) organised a Conference on the occasion of the French National Breastfeeding Day – la Journée Nationale de l’Allaitement 2017. GIFA was invited to give a comprehensive presentation...
The Infant Feeding in Emergencies (IFE) Core Group has recently finalised the 3rd version of the Operational Guide for Emergency Relief Personnel and Programme Managers, updated in October 2017. IBFAN is a member of the IFE Core Group and...
A few years ago, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) turned its attention towards infant and young child feeding, a badly underfunded and neglected area of public health and nutrition. As traditional government donors pay little attention to...
From September 11 to 29, 2017, the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC Committee) held its 76th Session in Geneva. The CRC Committee reviewed the progress of the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the...
On October 19, 2017 the launch of the 10th anniversary issue of the Right to Food and Nutrition Watch took place at Palais des Nations, in Geneva. Coordinated by FIAN International, co-organized by IBFAN and other CSOs and social...
Get a copy of the new IBFAN Calendar 2018! For more information on shipping and cost details, please contact info@gifa.org
The Intergovernmental Working Group on Transnational Corporations and Other Business Enterprises with respect to human rights will meet for the 3rd time, from 23 to 27 October at the Palais des Nations, in Geneva. The IGWG had published earlier...
Released last August, the General Comment No. 24 (2017) adopted by the CESCR (Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights) provided an important clarification on State Obligations in reaction to the growing impact of business activities on the enjoyment of...
On September 2017, IBFAN-ICDC launched its 11th Breaking the Rules, Stretching the Rules 2017 Global monitoring report. The BTR 2017 is a compilation of marketing practices from around the world that violate the International Code, covering the past 3 years....
The International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN) joins the rest of the world to commemorate the 25th World Breastfeeding Week from the 1st to 7th August 2017. This year’s theme is “Sustaining Breastfeeding: Building Alliances without Conflicts of Interest”...
The WHO Executive Board Meeting has started today (23rd January) and continues until 1st February 2017. Much of this week will take place in closed meetings for the election of the new Director General of WHO. IBFAN’s statements on the...
Laureates from the Right Livelihood Foundation will be in Europe. The conference will consist of two elements: an internal discussion among the Laureates (on 29th and 30th of October and 1st November), and a number of public thematic events...
Geneva, 24 May 2016 –Civil Society Organizations and Social Movements call upon WHO Member States not to compromise the independence, integrity and credibility of the WHO while negotiating on Framework on Engagement with Non-State Actors (FENSA). A joint statement...
A new report by WHO, UNICEF, and the International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN) reveals the status of national laws to protect and promote breastfeeding.
On 9 May 2016, WHO, UNICEF and IBFAN had the pleasure to hold an evening of discussion on national implementation of the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes and subsequent relevant WHA resolutions at Geneva Press Club. Watch the event podcast on http://new.livestream.com/GvaPressClub/Breastfeeding. Breastfeeding is...
Civil Society Statement – Geneva 25th April 2016 The independence, integrity and credibility of World Health Organization (WHO) and its capacity to fulfil its constitutional mandate would be compromised if Member States failed to put in place a robust framework...
The report Right to Food and Nutrition Watch was published on October 2015. Several IBFAN members, namely Patti Rundall, Lida Lhotska, Marcos Arana, and Xaviera Cabada, contributed to it. In her article entitled The ‘Business of Malnutrition’: The Perfect...
The long-running debate about how WHO interacts with corporations is coming to crisis point. The Framework proposed by WHO fails to deliver adequate guidance on how to discern which relationships are appropriate, and more specifically for guidance on issues related...
On the occasion of the 25th Anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, IBFAN would like to congratulate the States parties as well as the Committee on the Rights of the Child for the...
Baby Milk Action press release 9 September 2014. Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) 8 September: Oscar-winning director, Danis Tanovic, took to the stage to resounding applause following the screening of Tigers, his new 90-minute fact-based drama, and revealed that the character played...
After months of advocacy efforts by public interest civil society organisations (CSOs) gathered in a coalition of 150 members for a more participatory and democratic UN process leading up to ICN2 (the Second International Conference on Nutrition), a first...
Despite the article 5 of the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes, which prohibits baby food companies to advertise and promote their products to the general public, baby food companies are increasingly using social media as well as...
Public Interest CSOs, Indigenous Peoples and Social Movements reiterate their demand for full civil society participation in ICN 2 process, as well as express their growing concern over corporate sector participation. Lien vers le communiqué de presse sur le...
Baby Milk Action has today sent an open letter to the Executive Director of the UN Global Compact, George Kell, over the failure of the Global Compact Office to hold Nestlé to account for breaking its stated commitment to abide by...
UN Human Rights Council decides to start elaborating an international legally binding instrument to end human rights abuses and impunity by transnational corporations and other business enterprises Lien vers le communiqué de presse sur le site de FIAN International...
Yesterday, a resolution was adopted in the UN Human Rights Council that will begin the process of elaborating an international legally binding instrument on business and human rights.
Announcing ICDC’s latest State of the Code by Country (SOC 2014) Chart
The Swiss Network for the Rights of the Child (Netzwerk Kinderrechte Schweiz) today presented its reports to the Committee on the Rights of the Child on the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the...
