World Breastfeeding Week

An annual global observance held every year from August 1 to 7 in more than 120 countries, promoting breastfeeding and its benefits for infant and maternal health. World Breastfeeding Week was first celebrated in 1992 and is coordinated by the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action, known as WABA and formed on February 14, 1991, together with the World Health Organization and UNICEF and a wide network of partner organizations, governments and individuals. Its central aim is to advance exclusive breastfeeding for an infant's first six months of life, on the grounds that breast milk delivers critical nutrients and disease protection unmatched by alternatives, and past editions have drawn large-scale participation, with 540 separate events recorded across more than 79 countries and nearly 407,000 participants in 2010 alone.