World Breastfeeding Week 2025 Observed from August 1–7.
Important Days
World Breastfeeding Week 2025 is being observed globally from August 1 to 7, aiming to promote, support, and protect breastfeeding practices through sustainable social and institutional systems. The week is coordinated by the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). The campaign theme for 2025 focuses on building long-term support systems to prioritize breastfeeding as a public health and developmental imperative.
- The origins of World Breastfeeding Week trace back to the Innocenti Declaration of August 1990, adopted by WHO and UNICEF in Florence, Italy, which called for global efforts to support breastfeeding.
- To commemorate this commitment, World Breastfeeding Week was first observed in 1992 by WABA. Since then, it has grown into a major international campaign celebrated in over 120 countries to raise awareness and drive action on the importance of breastfeeding.
- The 2025 theme, “Prioritize Breastfeeding: Create Sustainable Support Systems,” highlights the need for strong family, health, and workplace support to remove barriers to breastfeeding and ensure protections like paid leave and nursing breaks.
Main Point :- (i) According to WHO data, exclusive breastfeeding during the first six months of life can prevent over 820,000 child deaths every year globally. Breastfeeding is not only vital for providing infants with essential nutrients and antibodies, but it also reduces the risk of maternal diseases like breast and ovarian cancer. Breastfeeding also promotes cognitive development and supports emotional bonding between mother and child.
(ii) In 2025, WHO reports that approximately 48% of infants worldwide are exclusively breastfed for the first six months—an improvement compared to previous years. However, only around 44% of newborns are breastfed within the first hour of birth, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, which remains a concern for global health agencies. The WBW 2025 campaign is using both policy advocacy and public engagement tools to bridge these gaps.
(iii) As part of World Breastfeeding Week 2025, global events include seminars, counseling, #NormalizeBreastfeeding campaigns, and outreach programs to educate caregivers, influence policymakers, and support working mothers with lactation rooms, maternity benefits, and peer support systems.
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