Preliminary Announcement - Save the Dates! Nurturing The Future: Challenges to Breastfeeding in the 21st Century
WABA GLOBAL FORUM 2 23-27 September 2002, Arusha, Tanzania The Key Facts The World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) announces plans to hold their Second Global Forum entitled Nurturing the Future: Challenges to Breastfeeding in the 21st Century. The Forum will bring together a diverse group of individuals and organisations and provide a unique opportunity to discuss, review and formulate strategies to improve infant and young child health, nutrition and care through the protection, support and promotion of breastfeeding, with the focus on the community. Forum 2 will focus on: * Research which provides the evidence base for appropriate actions * Capacity building to enable groups to implement more effective actions * Popular mobilisation to ensure that actions are community and people-centered With its African venue, Forum 2 will focus on lessons the rest of the world can learn from this unique and age-old breastfeeding culture and ways of protecting it from today's threats, varying from the baby food industry and its exploitation of the HIV/AIDS issue to globalisation and free marketeer's efforts to destroy the Code. The Forum has been planned with assistance, funding, and enthusiastic support of a host of groups involved in the breastfeeding and allied movements, including women, environment, consumer, human rights and food security groups. . . . What? The two main goals of the Second WABA Global Forum are: * To provide an opportunity for rallying worldwide participation in the movement to protect, support and promote breastfeeding and childcare; * To spread awareness on the rights of children and women to adequate food, health and care especially in developing countries. . . . Where? Forum 2 will be held in the city of Arusha in northern Tanzania. With a temperate climate and its location close to Mount Kilimanjaro, the city offers excellent conference and hotel facilities and is close to world-famous attractions such as Serengetti National Park and the Ngorogoro Crater. . . . Who? WABA invites participation from individuals and groups interested in the topics of Forum 2, ranging from women, children, environmental and consumer groups, to individuals such as health workers and young people. There will be a strong training and capacity building focus. The presence of many experts in the fields of health and nutrition, child care and community participatory action will make it possible to share skills and knowledge about advances along a wide front. Key Issues The thrust of the Forum programme is on the primary goal of the Innocenti Declaration: all women should be enabled to practise exclusive breastfeeding for six months and to continue to breastfeed while providing appopriate complementary foods, for up to two years of age or beyond. WABA aims to do this through strengthening the four Innocenti targets and addressing key issues: * HIV/AIDS A strategy to strengthen the protection, promotion and support of breastfeeding in the face of HIV/AIDS. * Maternity Protection Inspiring the development of regional and national strategies for implementing the new ILO Convention 183 on Maternity Protection by promoting its ratification. Also strengthen maternity protection among women working in the informal sector. * The Code Continue to strengthen the promotion of the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes in the face of the baby food industry's recent marketing initiatives (such as new ways of marketing via the Internet, and promotion during emergencies). Adopting the Code is part of governments' obligation when they implement the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). * Mother Support Recognise and strengthen mother support groups and other community based support systems. WABA is developing a Global Initiative on Mother Support (GIMS) as a means to build support from the grassroots as well as from international organisations to foster global initiative to support women throughout their reproductive cycle and in particular before, during and after birth. GIMS aims to link with the UNICEF CARE Initiative and other relevant international programmes and initiatives. * BFHI & Birthing Practices Extend the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) to include good birthing practices in order to transform the BFHI into a Mother-Baby Friendly Initiative. Work with UN agencies and others to develop new guidelines for maternity care and a joint declaration for maternity. BFHI practitioners have noted that poor birthing practices lead to poor breastfeeding initiation. What's New * This Forum will expand the horizons for the breastfeeding movement, moving us into unchartered territory and linking us with new partners. * Our African venue will lend an African perspective to the proceedings, giving us all a chance to learn from one of the world's strongest breastfeeding cultures. * The most dynamic international activism today is pitting people power against market power and globalisation. The breastfeeding movement must harness and join this effort to ensure that the free market is never allowed to mean free access for the baby food and transgenic food industries to our babies. * The way that the threat of transmission of HIV/AIDS from mother to infant is now being dealt with is a bigger threat to breastfeeding than the virus itself. We must update ourselves, become proactive and build a united front calling for science and ethics, not politics and Northern domination, to determine which approaches are used. * There is momentum toward protecting, respecting and facilitating the breastfeeding rights of working women. The Forum will bring us up to date on ratification and implementation of the new ILO Maternity Protection Convention 183 and explore how to expand coverage to informal workers. * Again and again the mass media exploit breastfeeding's emotive quality, especially regarding environmental pollutants. The Forum will empower us all to proactively and confidently deal with this locally, putting us in contact with scientific data, environmental groups, UN and other statements. * Forum 2 will launch a new international initiative for support to mothers. For the first time all the necessary component of the support we all know is necessary to enable mothers to breastfeed successfully will be explored and mobilised simultaneously. * Join us in setting up a Hall of Fame to celebrate the movement's successes and a Hall of Shame to document past and present industry violations of the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes and Subsequent WHO Resolutions-and dirty tricks! * Breastfeeding works best where it is the norm, supported by community and family structures. Yet we have so far failed to develop many community-based approaches to protect, support and promote breastfeeding. The Forum will showcase what has been done so far and provide a brainstorming arena in which new approaches can be designed for the settings in which you live and work. * The Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative is the most widespread of all breastfeeding programmes. We will explore how to build on it to achieve baby and mother friendliness throughout the health care system, including birthing and will discuss the threat posed by misinformation about HIV/AIDS. Background The first WABA Global Forum was held five years ago in December 1996 in Bangkok (see WABA website www.waba.br.org). It resulted in building, inspiring and strengthening the breastfeeding movement and it led to new activities, and brought on board new partners. Many network members have over the past few years expressed the need for another such revitalising Forum. Several brainstorming sessions on the goals, objectives and programme of Forum 2 have taken place from 1999-2001. These meetings have confirmed the validity of the first Forum goals, major themes and programme as well as laid out the Ten Critical Areas for Action (see back page). They have especially recognised the need to strengthen the implementation of the Innocenti Declaration targets and to move beyond it to support such activities as more humane birthing practices, good maternity care and greater community support. Pre-Forum Meeting on HIV and Breastfeeding It is proposed that a two-day international meeting be held in Arusha to discuss the important topic of appropriate infant feeding for babies born to HIV-positive mothers and the impact of the HIV pandemic on support for breastfeeding. Mother to child transmission (MTCT) of HIV occurs in utero, during child birth and through breastfeeding. The meeting will concentrate on infection occurring through breastfeeding, and on the importance of risk assessment both in advice to mothers and in public policy. That is, the risk of HIV transmission through breastfeeding versus the risk of not breastfeeding. Alternative methods of infant feeding will be discussed. The impact of concern about MTCT on activities in support of breastfeeding such as BFHI, Code implementation, World Breastfeeding Week and others will also be reviewed. 10 Critical Areas for Action WABA Global Forum 2, Nurturing the Future: Challenges to Breastfeeding in the 21st Century 23-27 September 2002, Arusha, Tanzania 1. HIV/AIDS Participants will be presented with the latest scientific information on mother to child transmission of HIV/AIDS. They will critically review research and pilot study outcomes, UN policies and various organisations' position statements and learn about risk assessment both to assist individuals and policy makers and will develop appropriate guidelines for their settings. Best practices will also be shared. 2. National Breastfeeding Mechanisms Lessons learned from a global survey on the first Innocenti target and from existing committees will be examined. Based on this, a recommended terms of reference for such a committee will be produced and a strategy for putting together one that has a clear mandate, a budget, and accountability. 3. Popular Mobilisation Best practices in community mobilising initiatives to support breastfeeding will be presented. Participants will learn and share various popular mobilisation techniques (e.g. WBW), develop skills in proposal-writing, advocacy, and linking breastfeeding to broader global campaigns, such as UNICEF's Global Movement for Children. 4. Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative Participants will discuss how to build on the best practices in the BFHI to achieve mother and baby friendliness throughout the health care system including non-interventive maternity care and birthing practices, and to change health worker curricula accordingly. A discussion of the decline in government, WHO and UNICEF support for BFHI will take place and recommendations for strengthening the BFHI in the era of HIV/AIDS will be developed. 5. Globalisation Participants will discuss the risks and dangers to breastfeeding of the introduction of transgenic human milk components in infant formula, genetically-modified foods, and of market liberalisation and globalisation in general. Concerns over the increasing power of transnational corporations versus weakening of governments, the role of World Trade Organisation and related topics will be discussed. Creative ideas for action are expected to emerge regarding how to build linkages with other actors working to create a world that puts people first. 6. The International Code Discuss the Code, and subsequent WHA resolutions, as a unique international effort to control the marketing activities of baby food comnpanies, in order to actively protect the health and well-being of babies. Celebrate the movement's successes (Hall of Fame) and document past and present industry violations and dirty tricks (Hall of Shame). Participants will be offered training in code implementation, monitoring and reporting techniques for use in their own setting. 7. Support for Working Women Participants will be updated on progress around the world in ratifying and implementing the new ILO Maternity Protection Convention 183. Join brainstorming and project planning efforts to extend work on breastfeeding rights to women working, including the informal sector. Training on establishing mother-friendly workplaces and child-friendly creches will be available. 8. Breastfeeding and the Environment Discuss breastfeeding as an environmentally friendly activity and how alternative feeding methods have adverse environmental impacts. Every breastfeeding advocate needs to know how to deal locally with recurring attacks on breastfeeding, whether intended or not, that result from environmental scares based on breastmilk contaminants. Join us in reviewing the scientific data, learning about key statements by environmental health and justice groups and relevant UN statements, and developing our own statement and action plan. 9. Outreach to Women's Organisations Develop ways to build links with organisations working on women's issues and gender equality and help establish common agendas and actions. Join the dialogue on women's empowerment and related concerns (e.g. health, nutrition). 10. International Initiative for Support to Mothers For the first time ever, WABA is bringing together all the forces working for the various kinds of support needed by breastfeeding mothers from the health care and employment sectors, other experienced women, the family and community. Groups will share their experiences on their early work and success stories. You are invited to join and help shape this Initiative in your own area. The Ten Critical Areas for Action were identified by the 36 participants from 21 countries of the Global Breastfeeding Partners Meeting held in Salvador, Brazil, 23-25 July 2001. Further details regarding registration, travel, accomodations and the Forum Programme will be available in December 2001. The World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) is a global people's initiative to protect, promote and support breastfeeding. WABA acts on the Innocenti Declaration targets and works in close liaison with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). Contact us at: WABA, PO Box 1200, 10850 Penang, Malaysia Tel: 604-658 4816 l Fax: 604-657 2655 Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Website: www.waba.org.br www.waba.org.my ---END--- -- This mailing list is sponsored by ACE Graphics. Visit <http://www.acegraphics.com.au> to subscribe or unsubscribe.