“Breastfeeding is not only the cornerstone of a child’s healthy development; it is also the foundation of a country’s development.” – UNICEF and WHO

In commemoration of World’s breastfeeding week, August 1- 7 2016, themed Breastfeeding: A key to sustainable development, global health organizations like the United Nation Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and the World Health Organization (WHO) have launched a week-long campaign in several countries around the world to educate mothers on the significance of breastfeeding.

But more than the significance of breastfeeding, going by the theme, this year’s campaign is focused on an even bigger issue – sustainability. The World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) states that the campaign is on raising awareness of the links between breastfeeding and the Sustainable Development Goals. “By recognizing that breastfeeding is a key to sustainable development, we will value our well being from the start of life, respect each other and care for the world we share.”

The nutrition of an infant or young child is quite critical to their development, survival, their overall wellbeing, and the basis for a good start in life.  Mothers are therefore advised to adopt the Optimal infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices, which include breastfeeding within the first hour of life, exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months and continued breastfeeding for two years or more. Yet millions of new-borns are denied breastmilk globally, being deprived of essential nutrients and antibodies that ought to protect them from disease and death as breastfeeding rates have remained stagnant for the last two decades.

We can make faster progress toward all our development goals by better promoting, protecting and supporting breastfeeding. Now, as governments around the world develop budgets and action plans to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, breastfeeding must be a policy, programming, and public spending priority.

Although substantial progress has been made in reducing child mortality in the last two decades, 16,000 children still die daily, close to 7 million each year, mainly from preventable causes. UNICEF says immediate breastfeeding, putting the baby to the mother’s breast within an hour after birth, would significantly reduce neonatal mortality which currently represent nearly half of all child deaths under five years. “Increasing rates of breastfeeding to target levels could save the lives of 820,000 children under 5 – 87 percent of them infants 6 months old and younger –every year. This represents around 13 percent of all under-five child deaths annually.”

In a joint message to mothers and various governments, UNICEF and WHO implore countries to support breastfeeding, describing it as one of the smartest investments they could make in the well-being of their citizens, and thus, in their own long-term strength. “In low, middle, and high-income countries alike, the benefits for individuals, families and societies include ending preventable child deaths, improving maternal and child health, boosting educational attainment, and increasing productivity.”