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Since the beginning of 2014, many new developments have taken place at IBFAN-GIFA: staff have changed, projects have grown, new alliances have been built, victories have been won. In this fifth issue of our Newsletter, we bring you highlights of the actions undertaken in the last 6 months. As always we would love to hear about your ideas and get your comments, as well as receive any information you would like us to consider for disseminate in our next Newsletter.
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GENERAL
Staff changes
In January 2014, our colleague Ina Verzivolli, former Programme Officer in charge of Human Rights, left the GIFA office after 4 years of good and loyal services. We are happy that in her new post of Director of the Child Rights Unit in her native country, Albania, Ina can continue to defend children’s rights and we wish her the best in her future endeavors.
Ina was succeeded by Camille Selleger, a young jurist passionate about right to food and nutrition issues and we hope you will join in extending warm welcome this new colleague who, as you will see, has already fully contributed to the GIFA’s work.
New website
Thanks to our webmaster Jesse Anton, who redesigned our website, and with the efforts of all IBFAN-GIFA team who developed its content, our new website (in French and English) has been officially launched on May 2014. Please have a look. We hope you will find interesting the information posted so far on our current projects (project ANJE, Marchez et mangez malin!) and on the topics we follow (International Code, Swiss Code, conflicts of interests, maternity protection, human rights, contaminants and residues, environment and climate, crisis situations, WBTi). You will also find a page with useful information about our association, including statutes and our Board membership. Finally, remember that our website will keep you informed about our latest actions, events and publications.
As of this year, you can also follow us on our new Facebook page and Twitter account to get the latest trends and information related to infant and young child feeding, nutrition and global health, and watch our videos on our Youtube channel.
INTERNATIONAL
Breastfeeding at the Committee on the Rights of the Child
The Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) held its 65th session from 13 to 31 January 2014 and reviewed the progress of the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Childin 6 countries. In collaboration with IBFAN national groups,IBFAN-GIFA submitted alternative reports on the situation of infant and young child feeding for 5 of them (Congo, Germany, Portugal, Russian Federation and Yemen). During this CRC session, IBFAN-GIFA, together with UNICEF and WHO, also organized for the CRC Committee members a briefing on the importance of breastfeeding for the fulfillment of children’s rights, with Ms. Hiranthi Wijemanne, member of the CRC Committee, Mr. David Clarke, UNICEF, Dr. Carmen Casanovas, WHO and Ina Verzivolli (IBFAN-GIFA) as speakers. Read the Report of the 65th session
The CRC Committee held its 66th session from 26 May to 13 June 2014. At this session 6 countries (Indonesia, India, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan and St Lucia) were reviewed and IBFAN-GIFA, in collaboration with IBFAN national groups, submitted alternative reports for all of them. Read the Report of the 66th session
Breastfeeding at the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) held its 52th session from 28 April to 23 May 2014, and reviewed the progress of the implementation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in 10 countries. As we strive to increase harmonization among the recommendations of the human rights treaty bodies, IBFAN-GIFA with colleagues from the countries submitted for the first time ever alternative reports(Armenia, China, Czech Republic, Indonesia, Lithuania, Ukraine and Uzbekistan).
Breastfeeding at the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women
The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) held its 58th session from 30 June to 18 July 2014, and reviewed the progress of the implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women in 10 countries. Expanding the outreach also to this Committee, IBFAN-GIFA submitted alternative reports on the situation of infant and maternal health and work-related issues for 2 of the reviewed countries (India and Lithuania).
Global health governance: 67th World Health Assembly (19-24 May 2014)
IBFAN-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 granted the Official Relations status with WHO in January 2014. 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 addressed the Assembly calling 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, we advocated successfully for a fundamental rethink on WHO’s Draft Framework for Engagement with Non State Actors (NSAs). The final decision WHA 67(14) recognized that further consultations were needed “on issues including conflict of interest and relations with the private sector.” By the end July 2014, the WHO Secretariat will prepare a comprehensive report and the debate will be taken to the WHO regional committees before it comes back to the January 2015 Executive Board.
Human Rights Council 26th session
In June, a resolution was adopted during the 26th session of the UN Human Rights Council that will begin the process of elaborating an international legally binding instrument on business and human rights. Despite strong opposition from the EU and US, the resolution received affirmative votes from 20 member States on the Human Rights Council, while 13 States abstained.
This victory was the achievement through a joint effort led by the Treaty Alliance, a group of networks and campaign organizations working collectively in support of developing binding international treaty to address corporate human rights abuses. A statementcalling for a treaty has been signed by 610 civil society organizations, including IBFAN, and social movements and 400 individuals from 95 countries. As a member of the Treaty Alliance, IBFAN-GIFA developed a discussion paper and Lida Lhotska presented at an NGO side event on the network’s 33-year experience of Code implementation. Our presentation illustrated the necessity of a treaty on human rights obligations of TNCs, a crucial step to the fulfillment of human rights of every human being. Finally, in order to advance the right of every child to be fully protected from commercial pressures for artificial feeding during the crucial period of the first two years of life, IBFAN-GIFA also submitted a written statement.
International Conference on Nutrition (ICN2)
TheInternational Conference on Nutrition (ICN2) will take place in Rome, 19-21 November 2015. The announcement of this high-level gathering to discuss the nutritional problems faced globally was much welcomed. Public-interest Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) hoped that ICN2 would bring the much needed commitment to adequately address the underlying problems of the prevailing food systems. However, as the process towards ICN2 evolves, we are increasingly concerned about the multi-stakeholder model of the process, which brings corporate sector and on the same footing with CSOs in this policy-making arena with the risk of undue corporate influence on the decision of our governments. IBFAN is thus a signatory of the calls such as this on both WHO and FAO as well as the intergovernmental Joint Working Group to ensure that the political declaration of the conference puts people not profits in the centre.
NEWS FROM SWITZERLAND
68th Pre-Session of the Committee on the Rights of the Child: Switzerland under the spotlight
In view of the 68th Pre-Session of the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC), IBFAN-GIFA presented a statement on the situation of infant and young child feeding in Switzerland. We first commended Switzerland for the ratification of the ILO Convention No 183 on maternity protection, and then highlighted the lack of programmes on breastfeeding promotion at local and national scale as well as the poor rates of optimal breastfeeding practices in the country. We also insisted that the government implements fully all provisions of the Code and subsequent WHA resolutions and ensure that Switzerland follows strictly WHO recommendations on breastfeeding in order to guarantee the protection of breastfeeding and avoidance of misleading messages from the industry to discourage mothers from nursing their child.
Besides, the Child Rights Network Switzerland, of which IBFAN-GIFA is a member, presented its second and third NGO report to the Committee on the Rights of the Child, insisting on the lack of national strategy for the promotion of breastfeeding and highlighting that health professionals do not receive sufficient and independent training on breastfeeding. The report also stated that Swiss legislation does not sufficiently enshrine the Code and subsequent WHA resolutions.
Switzerland: a country favorable to breastfeeding?
IBFAN-GIFA was invited to make a presentation at the annual 2-day training meeting of the Swiss francophone lactation consultants, in June 2014. During our presentation entitled “Switzerland : a country favorable to breastfeeding ?”, we highlighted the need for breastfeeding protection and improved training of health professionals in Switzerland as mothers and parents continue to receive conflicting information on how to feed their children.
Maternity Protection in Switzerland : Historic step forward
In February 2014, IBFAN-GIFA issued a press release to support the revision of the article 60 § 2 of the Swiss Ordinance 1 on labour introducing the right for working mothers who breastfeed to take paid breastfeeding breaks. The revision was adopted by the Swiss Federal Council on the 30th April 2014 and entered in force in June 2014, thus enabling Switzerland to ratify the ILO Convention No 183 on Maternity Protection.
Statement of IBFAN-GIFA at Nestlé’s AGM
On the 10th April 2014, IBFAN-GIFA attended the Annual General Meeting of Nestlé in Lausanne. Accompanied by her colleague Mike Brady, from Baby Milk Action, Camille Selleger has denounced Nestlé’s violations of children’s rights and cynicism behind the corporate social responsibility image which the company tries to publically project by claiming support to human rights. Yet, Nestlé with impunity implements a policy, which applies two different rules for Code compliance depending on Nestlé’s own ranking of low-risk and high-risk countries. In response, the company defended its erroneous interpretation of the Code, stating that it should comply with the Code only as implemented at national level.
PROJECT 'ANJE'
Visit to Burkina Faso and Gabon and meeting with Swiss donors
In January 2014, IBFAN-GIFA’s officer in charge of the project ANJE, Rebecca Norton, traveled to the regional office for IBFAN Afrique in Burkina Faso in order to attend the project planning meeting with all partners of the project. In March 2014, accompanied by Edouard Zerbo, regional technical coordinator of the ANJE project, Rebecca also traveled to Gabon to attend the first 3-day training on breastfeeding for health professionals, coordinated by AGPAI (Association Gabonaise pour l’Alimentation Infantile).
In May 2014, IBFAN-GIFA, who assures technical coordination of the project and the principal partners from the IBFAN Afrique regional office, met the Swiss donors to update them on implementation.
