WORKING ON HUMAN RIGHTS

Increased recommendations on food and nutrition by the CRC Committee at Session 77
 
From January 15 to February 2, 2018, the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC Committee) held its 77^th Session in Geneva.
The CRC Committee met delegations from 8 countries in order to evaluate their progress in the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The countries under review were: Guatemala, Marshall Islands, Palau, Solomon Islands, Seychelles, Spain and Sri Lanka. IBFAN submitted alternative reports on the situation of infant and young child feeding in Guatemala, Panama and Spain, and informed the Committee members about the main gaps in the policies and programmes of the other reviewed countries through direct communication and advocacy during the Session.
In its Concluding Observations, the CRC Committee referred specifically to breastfeeding for 5 out of the 8 countries under review: Marshall Islands, Panama, Seychelles, Solomon Islands and Spain.
Read the post-session report and the Concluding Observations for each country under review:
 

• Guatemala
• Marshall Islands
• Palau
• Panama
• Seychelles
• Solomon Islands
• Spain
• Sri Lanka

 
78th Session of the CRC: the need to fully implement the International Code and increase breastfeeding rates

From May 14 to June 1, 2018, the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC Committee) held its 78^th Session in Geneva. 
The CRC Committee reviewed the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 5 countries: Angola, Argentina, Lesotho, Montenegro and Norway. IBFAN submitted alternative reports on the situation of infant and young child feeding in Argentina and Lesotho. Direct advocacy during the session allowed the Committee members to address relevant questions on the status of IYCF policies to the other countries under review.  
In its Concluding Observations, the CRC Committee referred specifically to breastfeeding for 4 out of the 5 countries under review: Angola, Argentina, Lesotho and Montenegro. These countries received also specific recommendations on the need to fully implement the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes.
Read the post-session report here.
 
A new Prezi on Breastfeeding and Human Rights

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 available at this link and constitutes an interactive path simulating what mothers and families may encounter when starting the unique adventure of having a baby.
Discover how each action to protect, promote and support breastfeeding can really make a difference and have a strong impact on mothers’ self-confidence in their ability to breastfeed. The with/without scenarios will help you understand how important is that everybody contributes to creating an enabling environment for women to optimally feed their children: decision-makers, health professionals, family members and friends, employers, baby food manufacturers and distributors. Find in the blue sections some interesting facts linking breastfeeding with human rights. Click on IBFAN and GIFA’s logos to watch a video presenting the work of our network. Share the presentation and get informed on the situation of protection, promotion and support of breastfeeding in your own country!

INTERNATIONAL CODE OF MARKETING OF BREAST-MILK SUBSTITUTES

New WHO/UNICEF/IBFAN report on Code implementation worldwide

In May 2018, a new report on the National Implementation of the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes was released as a WHO/UNICEF/IBFAN joint publication.
Following a previous publication released in 2016, the report documents the adoption of new legislation implementing the Code in a few countries and formulation of additional measures to strengthen existing legislation in others. It also provides a regional perspective on the legal status of the Code, and in countries where such information is available, the extent to which Code provisions have been incorporated in national legal measures.
Download the full report here.
A bit earlier in May, IBFAN-ICDC announced the release of a new State of the Code by Country 2018. For more information, visit https://www.ibfan-icdc.org/ibfan-icdc-releases-state-of-the-code-by-country-2018/


Code implementation in Switzerland: the Swiss TV news address some of the gaps in the Swiss system

Radio Télévision Suisse, the main Swiss national public TV station, contacted IBFAN-GIFA last June to collect information regarding the application of the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes and subsequent relevant WHA Resolutions in Switzerland. Focusing on the Swiss law and the Swiss code of conduct of baby food manufacturers and distributors, the reportage shows some of the problems linked with cross promotion of infant foods in Switzerland and highlights the ongoing efforts in order to strengthen the existing laws on the matter.
Watch the full reportage here (in French).

GLOBAL HEALTH GOVERNANCE

IBFAN at the 142nd Session of WHO Executive Board

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 plays a crucial role for maternal, infant and young child health, and not only. WHO should have a strong and clear position on conflicts of interest and make sure its engagement with the private sector won’t prevent the highest public health authority from respecting its constitutional mandate.
Read IBFAN Statements on:

• Agenda item 3.1 draft 13th General Programme of Work 2019-2023
• Agenda item 3.3 Public health preparedness and response
• Agenda item 3.5 Health, environment and climate change
• Agenda item 3.8 Non-communicable Diseases
• Agenda item 4.3 Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health
• Agenda item 4.6.1 Maternal, infant and young child nutrition
• Agenda item 4.6.2 Safeguarding against possible conflicts of interest in nutrition programmes
• Agenda item 5.5 Engagement with Non-State Actors

 
Download all the EB142 documents from WHO here.
Watch all the EB142 sessions with WHO live web-streaming.
Read Baby Milk Action press release.


Press Conference: Health governance in the public interest?

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 with private sector actors. WHO has not honoured these promises and the world has failed to pay attention.
Instead, a dangerous policy shift has occurred. WHO has moved from neglecting conflict of interest issues to blurring the entire conflict of interest concept. Warnings about the risk this shift poses to WHO’s integrity, independence, and trustworthiness have been ignored.
 
On May 17, 2018, IBFAN GIFA organized a press conference at the Club Suisse de la Presse, prior to the 71^stWorld Health Assembly, focusing on conflicts of interest in relation to the emerging system of undemocratic global ‘multi-stakeholder governance’.
 
The aim was to stimulate debate about undue influence in health and nutrition policy-making and the need to prevent a reduction of WHO’s role to that of a fundraiser and broker of public-private hybrids. Key actions include correcting policy documents such as WHO’s Framework of Engagement with Non-State Actors (FENSA), questioning harmful discourses, and opening up space for public scrutiny.
 
The panel was composed by:
 
Judith Richer, PhD Soc.Sc. MSc. Title of the presentation – Global health and nutrition governance and the politics of conflicts of interest (PDF)
 
David Miller, Professor of Sociology. Title of the presentation – Mapping the web of influence: Conflict of interest and the corporate capture of science, civil society and policy (PDF)
 
David Klemperer, MD, Professor of Public Health and Social Medicine. Title of the presentation – There’s no such thing such a free lunch (PDF)
 
Watch the webcast here.


71st World Health Assembly: a new Resolution on Infant and Young Child Feeding

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 several IBFAN regional offices. Like every two years, the World Health Assembly discusses and approves a Resolution concerning infant and young child feeding. This year, after the publication of a first draft text of the Resolution, co-sponsored by 18 Member States, a drafting committee has been created in order to re-open the discussions and compare the draft resolution with a decision proposed by the United States. It took two full days of negotiations for the drafting committee to find agreement on the final text of the Resolution that has been adopted by the WHA on Saturday morning.
 
More information and analysis on the approved text is available on Baby Milk Action/IBFAN UK website.
 
The official documents are available here.
Read IBFAN’s oral statements on multiple agenda items:

• Item 11.1 Draft 13^th General Programme of Work
• Item 11.2 Public Health Preparedness and Response
• Item 11.4 Health, Environment and Climate Change
• Item 11.7 High-level meeting on Non-Communicable Diseases
• Item 12.3 Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescent health
• Item 12.6 Maternal, Infant and Young Child Nutrition

CORPORATE ACCOUNTABILITY

The Lactalis scandal: IBFAN press release and interviews with BBC

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.
Representatives from IBFAN were interviewed by BBC to comment on an scandal that is not so surprising to whoever is familiar with the work of baby food manufacturers and distributors. Indeed, it’s not the first time contaminants are found in baby formula and not the first time that the news on the accident keep a very low profile so that the company can save its image and its sales.
See Baby Milk Action press release here (for the French translation, click here), including the excerpts of the interviews to Patti Rundall and Alison Linnecar with BBC. The January update is available here.
Watch French TV Program Cash Investigation‘s documentary on Lactalis, of 16 January 2018 (in French)  https://www.francetvinfo.fr/sante/alimentation/lait-infantile-contamine/lactalis-refuse-de-publier-ses-comptes_2565097.html
For more information contact:
Alison Linnecar, IBFAN global working group on chemical and microbiological contamination of infant feeding products  + 33 450 56 40 80,  for text messages: + 33 622 18 72 88
http://ibfan.org/infant-and-young-child-feeding-health-and-environmental-impacts
Dr. J P Dadhich MD (Paediatrics); FNNF; PG-DDN Director – Technical, BPNI, IBFAN Global Council; Sub-regional Representative – IBFAN South Asia,  +91-11-27312705; +91-11-27312706  jpdadhich@bpni.org    www.bpni.org
Patti Rundall,  Policy Director,  Baby Milk Action IBFAN UK  +44 7786 523493  prundall@babymilkaction.org   www.babymilkaction.org
 
For IBFAN websites with more information on contaminants  CLICK HERE  and HERE 
For more information in French, see our website section on Contaminants.

NEWS FROM SWITZERLAND

IBFAN-GIFA at the 2018 Bébé et Moi fair
Held every year at the Palexpo of Geneva, the fair «  Salon Bébé et moi »  offers perinatal information to (future) parents and this year IBFAN-GIFA was present at the exhibition stand of our local partner association « NaîtrEnsemble »  with information leaflets on breastfeeding. Our participation had great success especially because our stand did not represent any commercial interests, which is rather uncommon in such events with direct contacts with mothers and families. We will continue to collaborate with «  NaîtrEnsemble »  for the Alternatiba Leman Festival in autumn.

Letter to the Swiss Foundation for Breastfeeding Promotion
In a letter sent to the Swiss Foundation for Breastfeeding Promotion (Promotion Allaitement Maternel Suisse), IBFAN-GIFA asked to be officially removed from the list of partners on the Foundation’s website. This request was motivated by the fact that the Foundation receives funding by industries that are not compliant with the Code. Although the promotion material published by the Foundation is of good quality, we consider that Switzerland should be able to write breastfeeding policies and edit relevant promotion materials without conflicts of interest. IBFAN-GIFA sent a letter to the Foundation to explain this point of view. Read the full text of the Letter here (in French).

IBFAN- GIFA’s analysis of the Swiss Paediatrics SSP recommendations on breastfeeding 2017
One of our missions for the Child Obesity Prevention Programme in Geneva,  Marchez et mangez malin!  (Walk and eat smart), is the analysis of legislative and strategic documents used by health professionals, regarding breastfeeding. We read and compared the recommendations issued by Swiss Paediatrics (Société Suisse de Pédiatrie SSP) from 2009 and the new ones from 2017. The Swiss Paediatricians refer to recommendations by WHO, AAP and ESPGHAN, but their conclusion is less in favor of breastfeeding than the international ones. This gave as the opportunity to write a letter with questions to the SSP. See GIFA’s analysis of the SSP recommendations (in French).
For more information on our work, visit : www.gifa.org/suisse/marchez-mangez-malin/

NEWS FROM GIFA

How to support us? Become a member and make a donation!

If you are interested in receiving updates on our work and news from the network, if you share our mission and vision, if you want to contribute to our commitments, become a member and/or make a donation! More information is available on our website.

A new consultant working with us!
Welcome Britta Boutry-Stadelmann! Britta works with the team since April 2018 as an independent consultant to coordinate the association’s activities related to the project for child obesity prevention, Marchez et mangez malin!, financed by the State of Geneva.

SAVE THE DATE

1-7 August 2018: World Breastfeeding Week! This year’s theme will be Breastfeeding, Foundation of Life.

22 September 2018: IBFAN-GIFA will be at the Alternatiba Leman Festival in Geneva. See you there!

9 December 2018: IBFAN’s 20^th anniversary as Right Livelihood Award Laureate!