GENEVA/NEW YORK, 4 August 2025 – As World Breastfeeding Week is observed globally, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) are calling on governments and health institutions to prioritise investments in sustainable health systems that provide essential support for breastfeeding mothers.
Breastfeeding remains one of the most effective ways to ensure the survival, development, and overall health of infants. Often referred to as a baby’s first vaccine, it offers vital protection against common childhood illnesses such as diarrhoea and pneumonia.
Despite its proven benefits, only 48 per cent of infants under six months are exclusively breastfed worldwide — significantly short of the World Health Assembly’s target of 60 per cent by 2030. Experts attribute this gap to a combination of systemic challenges facing mothers, healthcare workers, and under-resourced health systems.
According to WHO and UNICEF, millions of new mothers leave hospitals without adequate guidance on breastfeeding, as only 20 per cent of countries include infant and young child feeding training in the curriculum for doctors and nurses. Inadequate support and fragmented healthcare structures continue to undermine efforts to improve breastfeeding rates globally.
The agencies are highlighting the critical need for increased investment, noting that every dollar spent on breastfeeding support yields up to $35 in economic returns through improved health outcomes and reduced healthcare costs.
Under this year’s theme, “Prioritise Breastfeeding: Create Sustainable Support Systems”, WHO and UNICEF are urging governments and stakeholders to:
- Allocate sufficient national budgets for breastfeeding programmes.
- Integrate breastfeeding support into all levels of maternal and child healthcare — from antenatal to postnatal services.
- Equip all health workers with essential breastfeeding counselling skills, including in emergency settings.
- Strengthen community-based health systems to ensure continued support for mothers up to two years and beyond.
- Fully implement the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes to protect breastfeeding within healthcare environments.
Both agencies stressed that strengthening health systems to support breastfeeding is not only a health necessity but also a moral and economic imperative. They reaffirmed their commitment to helping countries build resilient systems that ensure no mother or child is left behind.
