As the 2026 World Breastfeeding Week concludes on Friday, health experts are urging governments, families and communities to tackle persistent misinformation and strengthen support systems that enable mothers to breastfeed successfully.
This year’s observance, themed “Breastfeeding for a Sustainable Start in Life: Strengthen What Works,” focuses on expanding proven interventions, including professional breastfeeding counselling, family support and workplace policies that allow mothers to exclusively breastfeed their babies during the first six months of life and continue breastfeeding alongside complementary foods for two years and beyond.
Health experts say breastfeeding remains one of the most effective ways to improve child survival and development, providing babies with essential nutrients, strengthening immunity, reducing the risk of infections and supporting cognitive growth.
For mothers, breastfeeding has also been linked to long-term health benefits, including reduced risks of breast and ovarian cancers as well as type 2 diabetes.
The World Health Organization and UNICEF recommend that newborns begin breastfeeding within the first hour after birth, receive only breast milk for the first six months, and continue breastfeeding with appropriate complementary foods until at least two years of age.
Despite these recommendations, many countries continue to struggle with achieving global breastfeeding targets due to inadequate support, misinformation and weak implementation of protective policies.
In Some parts of Africa, progress remains below international expectations. Data from the 2024 National Food and Nutrition Security Survey shows that only 22 per cent of infants under six months are exclusively breastfed, placing the country among the lowest performers in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region.
The global target is for countries to achieve an exclusive breastfeeding rate of at least 50 per cent.
Experts say unequal access to breastfeeding support services, inconsistent enforcement of policies and limited assistance for mothers in healthcare facilities, workplaces and communities continue to undermine efforts to improve breastfeeding rates.
“Breastfeeding Week is a reminder that mothers need a strong value chain of support, from health facilities and communities to families and workplaces,” said Gilbert Tshitaudzi, Nutrition Manager at UNICEF South Africa.
Beyond improving health outcomes, breastfeeding support also provides significant economic benefits.
Research indicates that every US$1 invested in breastfeeding promotion can generate an estimated US$59 in economic returns through reduced healthcare costs, improved educational outcomes and increased productivity and lifetime earnings.
Meanwhile, UNICEF says strengthening breastfeeding support requires coordinated action from governments, civil society organisations, development partners and private sector employers.
The organisation is calling for stronger health systems that provide quality breastfeeding support for mothers and newborns, expanded community-based counselling and peer-support programmes, and better integration of breastfeeding assistance into antenatal, maternity and postnatal healthcare services.
The body is also urging countries to fully enforce regulations protecting breastfeeding and implement the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes, which seeks to prevent misleading promotion of breast milk substitutes.
Health advocates say supporting breastfeeding should not be viewed as the sole responsibility of mothers but as a collective obligation involving families, workplaces, communities and policymakers.
They are calling for increased investment in paid maternity leave, breastfeeding-friendly workplaces and community support networks that allow mothers to make informed choices without facing unnecessary barriers.
Experts say the success of breastfeeding initiatives depends not only on educating mothers but also on creating environments where they have the time, confidence and resources required to breastfeed.
As World Breastfeeding Week draws to a close, advocates emphasise that strengthening existing support systems remains one of the most effective investments in healthier children, stronger families and more sustainable communities.
