Step Up for Breastfeeding: Educate and Support

1-7 August

World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) is a week-long global campaign to raise awareness and galvanize action on themes related to breastfeeding. This year focuses on strengthening the capacity of actors to protect, promote and support breastfeeding across different levels of society.

The World Health Organization recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of life, with continued breastfeeding plus complementary foods for up to 2 years and beyond. Early initiation of breastfeeding, within one hour of birth, decreases infectious and chronic diseases in newborns, and reduces newborn mortality.

Featured Resources from Partners

• Global Breastfeeding Collective: Breastfeeding Advocacy Toolkit
• PMNCH Breastfeeding Toolkit
• USAID Advancing Nutrition | Breastfeeding: Not Just Mom’s Job, How USAID Promotes and Protects Breastfeeding
• USAID Breastfeeding Video: Providing a Healthy Start for a Healthy Future
• PMNCH: Video on Breastfeeding during COVID-19
• Nutrition for Growth Year of Action: Nine SMART Breastfeeding Pledges
• WHO Q&A: COVID-19 and Breastfeeding
• Breastfeeding and COVID-19 Scientific Brief
• COVID-19 Breastfeeding, Infant Feeding, and Breast Milk

Learn More

World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA)

• A global network that coordinates and organizes WBW. Since 2017, the network has aligned the WBW campaign with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Learn more about the WBW-SDGs Campaign.

The Warm Chain Support for Breastfeeding

• With the mother-baby dyad at the core of efforts, the Warm Chain campaign links actors across the health, community and workplace sectors to provide a continuum of care during the first 1000 days of life. By identifying your role in the warm chain, you can link with similar stakeholders to create a chain in your community.