Statement
This World Breastfeeding Week, UNICEF and WHO call for equal access to breastfeeding support
NEW YORK/GENEVA, 1 August 2024, – “In the last 12 years, the number of infants under six months of age globally who are exclusively breastfed has increased by more than 10 per cent. This means 48 per cent of infants worldwide now benefit from this healthy start in life. It translates to hundreds of thousands of b...
Report
Supporting Child Nutrition and Sustainable Development through International Collaboration
Child health and nutrition are key goals under the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. Currently, around 45% of deaths among children under five years of age are linked to undernutrition. These mostly occur in low- and middle-income countries. In June 2023, the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic ...
Press release
Malnutrition in mothers soars by 25 per cent in crisis-hit countries, putting women and newborn babies at risk
NEW YORK, 7 March 2023, , –, The number of pregnant and breastfeeding adolescent girls and women suffering from acute malnutrition has soared from 5.5 million to 6.9 million – or 25 per cent – since 2020 in 12 countries hardest hit by the global food and nutrition crisis, according to a new report released by UN...
Report
Undernourished and Overlooked
Undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies and anaemia amplify gender inequalities by lowering learning potential, wages and life opportunities for adolescent girls and women, weakening their immunity to infections, and increasing their risk of life-threatening complications during pregnancy and childbirth. In ‘Un...
Article
Life-saving care for malnourished children in Senegal
This article was first published on the UNICEF Senegal website in 2021. COVID-19 has created an increased risk of malnutrition among children in Senegal due to its wide-reaching socio-economic impact. The pandemic affected all aspects of Senegal’s health system and early in the crisis access to nutrition services ...
Report
A Multi-country Study of Early Infant Feeding Decisions: China Report
This report presents findings of a study on the influence of formula milk marketing on infant feeding in China, as part of a global study conducted in eight countries. The research sought to document the extent of formula milk marketing, how formula milk marketing messages are perceived by women and influencers, and their effect on knowledge and values. Results also point to a need for extended regulations, and stricter enforcements of current re...
Article
Treating and preventing malnutrition
This article was first published on the UNICEF DRC website. In the second half of 2021, 2-year-old Gadi's health began to deteriorate. The normally happy little boy from the Democratic Republic of the Congo had lost his appetite and was visibly losing weight. “I was getting more and more worried about Gadi's hea...
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Article
Fighting malnutrition and ensuring a healthier future
This article was first published on the UNICEF DRC website. UVIRA TERRITORY, SOUTH KIVU PROVINCE, DR Congo – Full of joy and relief, Marita looks at her little girl who, was once extremely weak. "She could no longer stand or play," the mother recalls. It was thanks to therapeutic food received at a UNICEF-supporte...
Article
How to raise a healthy eater
Good food and nutrition are the foundation of children’s health and bring benefits that can last a lifetime. Teaching your child about healthy eating from a young age will help them to have a positive relationship with food well into adulthood. And believe it or not, shaping these habits can be fun and healthy – n...
Report
Infant and Young Child Feeding Counselling package
Nutrition is vital to the physical growth and psychological development of infants and young children. Good nutrition and scientific feeding can help children grow healthily, prevent disease, enhance intellectual development, and thus influence their development throughout their lives. The United Nations Sustaina...
Press release
More than half of parents and pregnant women exposed to aggressive formula milk marketing – WHO, UNICEF
GENEVA/NEW YORK, 22 February 2022, – More than half of parents and pregnant women (51 per cent) surveyed for a new WHO/UNICEF report say they have been targeted with marketing from formula milk companies, much of which is in breach of international standards on infant feeding practices. The report, How marketing o...
Report
Examining the impact of formula milk marketing on infant feeding decisions and practices
How marketing of formula milk influences our decisions on infant feeding, systematically examines women’s and health professionals’ experiences of formula milk marketing. The largest ever study of its kind, it draws on surveys with over 8 500 pregnant women and mothers of young children (aged 0-18 months) across e...