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 26, 2018, at the Palace Hotel, Ouaga 2000, which was attended by 40 representatives from nine countries in the region: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Gabon, Mali, Niger, Senegal, and Togo.

Thanks to the support of the WHO and UNICEF regional offices, the course benefited from the presence of delegates from all relevant organizations, including the International Code Documentation Center (IBFAN-ICDC), the first center historically involved in monitoring the Code since its adoption. The delegations, composed of representatives from governments, IBFAN groups, and WHO and UNICEF country offices in the countries concerned, were able to strengthen their knowledge of the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes and the monitoring mechanisms necessary for its effective implementation.

The course covered several topics: beginning with the importance of breastfeeding in its various aspects and the specific situation of infant and young child feeding (IYCF) in West and Central Africa, participants reviewed the history of the Code and the events that led to its adoption by the World Health Assembly (WHA) in 1981. They also explored the link between breastfeeding, the International Code, and human rights, and studied the tools provided by the United Nations treaty body system. Next, by looking more specifically at legislation on the Code in each country, the training enabled delegations to identify obstacles to effective implementation and monitoring. and established roadmaps with clear objectives for the coming months.

This course was conducted as part of the project “Promotion of Optimal Infant and Young Child Feeding Practices in West Africa,” funded by the City of Geneva and the Canton of Geneva.

Media coverage by the local press is available at this link.