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| Global Breastfeeding Collective | |
|---|---|
| Name | Global Breastfeeding Collective |
| Formation | 2017 |
| Founder | World Health Organization; United Nations Children's Fund |
| Type | Advocacy coalition |
| Headquarters | Geneva |
| Region served | Global |
| Leader title | Convenor |
| Leader name | World Health Organization |
| Parent organization | World Health Organization; United Nations Children's Fund |
Global Breastfeeding Collective The Global Breastfeeding Collective is a coalition launched to accelerate action for increased breastfeeding prevalence through policy, financing, and advocacy, bringing together United Nations agencies, international non-governmental organizations, and philanthropic actors to influence maternal and child health agendas and nutrition targets. The Collective coordinates technical guidance, advocacy materials, and global campaigns that intersect with maternal and child health frameworks led by institutions such as the World Health Organization, United Nations Children's Fund, World Bank, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and United Nations General Assembly. It engages stakeholders across multilateral fora including the World Health Assembly, the United Nations Economic and Social Council, and the International Labour Organization to advance normative standards and implementation support.
The Collective was formed in 2017 through a joint initiative spearheaded by World Health Organization and United Nations Children's Fund with strategic input from United Nations Population Fund, UNICEF, Save the Children, World Bank Group, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and major philanthropic actors such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Wellcome Trust. Its establishment followed global reviews of infant and young child feeding presented at the World Health Assembly and discussions at the Global Nutrition Report and UNICEF/WHO World Breastfeeding Week events, aligning with targets articulated in the Sustainable Development Goals and resolutions from the United Nations General Assembly. Founding partners included academic institutions and professional associations like London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, International Baby Food Action Network, and Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine to bridge research, policy, and practice.
The Collective sets measurable objectives to increase exclusive breastfeeding rates to target levels by 2025 and beyond, promoting policy adoption consistent with International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes provisions, maternity protection entitlements articulated by the International Labour Organization, and integration into national health strategies referenced by the World Bank. Advocacy goals emphasize strengthening health system capacities via guidelines from World Health Organization and UNICEF, expanding paid maternity leave consistent with International Labour Organization conventions, securing domestic and donor financing through actors like the Global Financing Facility, and reducing commercial influences linked to multinational corporations such as Nestlé, Danone, and Abbott Laboratories.
The Collective issues annual scorecards and policy briefs alongside global campaigns timed with World Breastfeeding Week and activities at the World Health Assembly and UN General Assembly High-level Meetings. It produces technical guidance aligned with WHO/UNICEF Baby-friendly Hospital Initiative standards, convenes expert panels including members from Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine, International Lactation Consultant Association, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation grantees, and academic partners like Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Campaigns include advocacy toolkits for ministries of health influenced by World Bank financing instruments, media outreach coordinated with Save the Children and UNICEF, and efforts to monitor implementation of the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes through civil society networks such as International Baby Food Action Network.
Partners span multilateral agencies (World Health Organization, UNICEF, UNICEF Supply Division), bilateral agencies (e.g., United States Agency for International Development), philanthropic foundations (Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Wellcome Trust, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation), academic institutions (London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Harvard University), and NGOs (Save the Children, Care International, International Rescue Committee). Funding and in-kind support derive from multilateral trust funds, bilateral grants via agencies like USAID and Department for International Development (UK), philanthropic grants from foundations named above, and contributions from global health financing mechanisms such as the Global Financing Facility and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.
The Collective publishes scorecards and progress reports synthesizing country-level data from Demographic and Health Surveys, Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys, and Global Nutrition Report datasets to track exclusive breastfeeding rates and policy adoption. Evaluations cite increases in policy commitments, adoption of maternity leave reforms influenced by International Labour Organization norms, and implementation of Baby-friendly Hospital Initiative standards in participating countries; independent assessments reference research from Lancet commissions on breastfeeding and studies by World Health Organization teams. Impact measurement remains tied to health outcomes tracked by WHO Global Health Observatory indicators and development metrics under the Sustainable Development Goals.
Critics, including investigative reporting by outlets such as The New York Times and advocacy groups like International Baby Food Action Network, have highlighted tensions regarding funding relationships with private sector actors including Nestlé and Danone and questioned potential conflicts of interest when philanthropic donors have portfolio investments connected to infant food markets. Debates among scholars at institutions like Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine address the balance between market regulation via the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes and pragmatic partnerships for service delivery supported by entities such as Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Other controversies involve the implementation challenges in refugee settings coordinated with United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and International Rescue Committee, and critiques from labor advocates referencing International Labour Organization standards and national policy gaps.
The Collective supports adoption of guidelines from World Health Organization and UNICEF, reinforces the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes adopted by the World Health Assembly, and promotes alignment with International Labour Organization conventions on maternity protection. It informs high-level policy dialogues at the World Health Assembly, contributes technical input to the Global Nutrition Report, and influences funding priorities within the Global Financing Facility and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance by providing evidence synthesised with partners such as Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University, and London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.
Category:Breastfeeding Category:Public health organizations