SCN News No 34 - UNSCN

www.unsystem.org/scn FEATURES 27
Advocacy
Below three examples of advocacy action in the areas of nutrition and health are given. The first is an
exemplary campaign that has been sustained over almost 30 years and has focused on the imperative of
protecting and promoting optimal infant and young child feeding. The second illustrates how human rights law
has been combined with advocacy actions to realize the right to food – which is increasingly under threat.
The last describes briefly the development of a large global network that organizes and campaigns around
the right to health and challenges the institutions and governments responsible to meet their obligations.
Baby food action: In addition to advocacy action based on the above research the area of infant and young
child feeding demonstrates the powerful role of evidence-based advocacy in public health, while also
revealing the obstacles encountered when commercial interests feel their profits are under threat.
Breastfeeding is estimated to save 6 million lives every year and could prevent 13% of all under-5 deaths or
1.3 million in the worst affected 42 countries. Appropriate complementary feeding could prevent a further 6%
of under-5 deaths (Jones et al 2003). Despite the benefits of breastfeeding, rates have declined in many
countries with the commercial promotion of breastmilk substitutes. Civil society organizations (CSOs) have
played a crucial role since the 1970s in researching and publicizing the aggressive baby food marketing
tactics that undermine breastfeeding. See Box 3.
The right to food: FIAN International is a human rights organization that focuses on the promotion and
protection of the Human Right to Adequate Food (RtF), through direct intervention with violation cases,
capacity strengthening of local civil society and influencing policy. See Box 4.
Box 3
IBFAN action in Brazil and the Philippines
A boycott of Nestlé led to Senate hearings in the US and a WHO/UNICEF meeting in 1979 that began to draft the
International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes, adopted by the World Health Assembly in 1981. At that time
six civil society groups formed the International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN) which today constitutes over 200
groups in over 100 countries. IBFAN groups monitor the implementation of the Code and subsequent Resolutions.
IBFAN’s International Code Documentation Centre in Penang, Malaysia, has trained many policy makers on courses
supported by WHO and UNICEF in both monitoring and legal issues.
Today over 70 countries have implemented the Code to some degree. Where these are independently monitored and
enforced, violations are stopped. Brazil is a strong example as breastfeeding rates have been increasing year-on-year.
IBFAN and its partners in the wider World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) have advocated a broad strategy
of measures to protect and promote breastfeeding, resulting in inter-governmental agreements, such as the Innocenti
Declaration and the Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding. IBFAN also defends the Code and
Resolutions at the Codex Alimentarius Commission, where the industry lobby dominates meetings. The Nestlé boycott
continues today as a result of continuing contraventions. At both national and international level, the public health
measures advocated by CSOs are opposed by commercial interests if they threaten on sales. Brazil’s exemplary
legislation developed over nearly two decades required revisions when monitoring evidence revealed loopholes. But
legislation is always under threat and an industry lobby in Brazil earlier this year had the health warnings required on
whole milk labels weakened.
In the Philippines, formula has been promoted with the claim it contains “Brain Building Blocks” and advertisements
suggesting formula-fed infants will become more intelligent and even, in one advertising campaign, concert violinists.
The reality is starker. According to WHO 16,000 infants die in the Philippines every year because they are not
breastfed. When the Ministry of Health recently strengthened its regulations, it was taken to court by the baby food
industry. The regulations were suspended after the US Chamber of Commerce wrote to President Arroyo of the
Philippines calling on her to intervene. There the IBFAN group and a broad coalition of CSOs have mobilized
thousands of Filipino mothers and stimulated international solidarity action which has exposed industry’s attempt to
reverse the regulations. The Supreme Court is presently considering the matter. The same story is played out, country
after country. This model of international advocacy through the UN system is a powerful one but must be coupled with
monitoring and research to provide evidence for action and, crucially, perseverance and continued vigilance to defend
gains. Sources: Richter 2002, IBFAN 2004a, IBFAN 2004b, Allain 2005.
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