Chairperson, honourable delegates,

My name is Lida Lhotska from IBFAN, the International Baby Food Action Network.

IBFAN appreciates the opportunity to speak on this important issue on behalf of Consumers International, the global federation of consumer organizations worldwide. With 250 member groups in 115 countries, CI represents the world's six billion consumers and is a co-founder of the International Baby Food Action Network. IBFAN defends the rights of the most vulnerable consumers, infants and young children to the highest attainable standard of health through the protection and promotion of breastfeeding and the reduction of needless formula feeding.

IBFAN welcomes the Secretariat’s report EB 115/6. Our network has a history of working in emergency situations. We contributed to development and are a signatory to the Operational Guidance on IFE and the SPHERE Project Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards, which call for adherence to the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes and relevant WHA resolutions. We are also, together with WHO, UNICEF and UNHCR, a member of the Interagency Core Group on IFE which developed two training Modules for emergency relief workers, which provide practical technical guidance on how to ensure appropriate infant and young child feeding in emergencies. The second Module was released as recently as in November 2004.

Breastfeeding is particularly important in emergency situations because of alleviated risks of diarrhoea and other infections in artificially fed infants. Protection and support for exclusive and continued breastfeeding become ever more important also as a source of sustainable food security and as a means of child spacing that can be used by mothers in the absence of contraceptives.

The risk associated with the use of milk products, breastmilk substitutes and infant feeding equipment in emergencies, where poor hygiene, limited access to safe water and fuel and crowding abound, has been well documented. Thus provision of breastmilk substitutes should be undertaken only after careful assessment to ensure distribution only to those children who need them, for as long as they need them and to avoid their use as a sales inducement. Orphans and infants separated from their mothers who may need baby milk are better served by sourcing these products locally, so that labels are in the correct language, and distributed with appropriate training on safe use. These concerns are especially relevant in light of current public health alerts about the intrinsic contamination of powdered infant formula and the international recalls of some products.

From the beginning of the terrible crises caused by the tsunami in South Asia, CI and IBFAN have been actively engaged in providing guidance and technical information and practical aid in the affected countries. CI launched the Tsunami Fund for collection of contributions. We are pleased to inform the EB members that the feedback from the field indicates relevance and usefulness of the guidance materials for dealing with the current situation. We call on WHO Member States to ensure that protection, promotion and support of breastfeeding are integral part of their policies and programming for crisis preparedness, response and recovery. IBFAN stands by to provide assistance as needed.