15 January 2001: WHO Executive Board Meeting - Statement by the WHO
Director General

Selected paragraphs on infant nutrition
(for the full statement, visit the WHO website)

Mr Chairman,

49. Science is also the foundation for all our work on infant nutrition. Some 1.5 million children still die every year because they are inappropriately fed. Unfortunately still, fewer than 35% of infants worldwide are exclusively breastfed for the first four months of life, and complementary feeding practices are frequently inappropriate and unsafe. The growing number of major emergencies, the HIV/AIDS pandemic and the complexities of modern lifestyles complicate the challenge of meeting young childrens nutritional needs.

50. Given the singular impact that feeding practices have on survival, health and development in the early years, WHO has long supported Member States in their efforts to improve infant and young child feeding practices. Two remarkably successful examples are the Baby-friendly Hospital Initiative, and the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes.

51. To scale up our efforts in this crucial area, last year I launched the development of a new global strategy
for infant and young child feeding that is intended as a framework for action by all concerned. Country and regional consultations have been initiated. This week you will discuss the progress made in the development
of the global strategy. You will consider the related draft resolution. Your discussions on this issue will help to guide the Health Assembly.

52. WHO currently recommends that the optimal duration of exclusive breastfeeding should be between four
to six months, depending on the growth of the infant and the risks encountered in the home environment. In view of the continuing debate on this issue, last year I commissioned a systematic scientific review of all available literature on the optimal duration of exclusive breastfeeding. This review, undertaken by
independent, external experts, has involved the painstaking examination of nearly 3000 references, and the use of rigorous criteria to select relevant studies for analysis.

53. All this analytical work will be discussed at an expert consultation here in Geneva at the end of March. It is important that this science-based process is allowed to continue to its completion so that it can serve as a foundation for future policies. Now may not be the best time for a review of the current WHO recommendation on the duration of exclusive breastfeeding.