World Breastfeeding Week, observed from 1 to 7 August, is a moment to celebrate one of the most effective ways to protect child survival, nutrition and development. In 2026, the theme “Breastfeeding for a Sustainable Start in Life: Strengthen What Works” calls on governments, health systems, workplaces, families and communities to scale up interventions that are already proven to help mothers and babies.
Breastfeeding gives every child a sustainable start in life. Breastmilk provides essential nutrition, strengthens immunity, helps protect against serious illness and supports cognitive development. For mothers, breastfeeding also contributes to long-term health by helping reduce the risk of breast and ovarian cancers and type 2 diabetes. WHO recommends early initiation of breastfeeding within the first hour of birth, exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months, and continued breastfeeding up to two years and beyond with safe and appropriate complementary foods.
Sri Lanka has strong achievements to protect and build on where 90% of newborns are breastfed within the first hour of birth and 82% of infants are exclusively breastfed during the first six months. Sri Lanka also achieved Green status under the World Breastfeeding Trends Initiative in 2020, reflecting the country’s strong policy and programme environment. These achievements place Sri Lanka among the leading countries globally and demonstrate the value of sustained investment through the Ministry of Health, Family Health Bureau, public health midwives, maternity and newborn care services, professional bodies and community-level support.
Globally, breastfeeding progress is improving but remains uneven. WHO and UNICEF reported in 2026 that exclusive breastfeeding in the first six months has increased from around 37% in 2012 to over 47% today, while breastfeeding up to two years rose from 38% to 50% in the past five years. However, many mothers and families still lack access to the services, guidance, workplace support and community systems that make breastfeeding possible. Scaling up breastfeeding could prevent almost 400 000 child deaths and around 140 000 maternal deaths each year, and every US$1 invested in breastfeeding promotion generates an estimated US$59 in economic returns.
Sri Lanka’s high breastfeeding rates should not lead to complacency. Recent national and global evidence points to several challenges that require continued action. Mothers may face concerns about milk supply, pain, sore nipples, breast engorgement and the belief that there may be “no milk in the first days”. These concerns, together with misinformation, can reduce confidence and contribute to early discontinuation of breastfeeding and unnecessary formula feeding. These challenges are preventable when accurate information and skilled support are available before and after birth.
Health-system practices also matter. A recent Sri Lanka study on Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative compliance found that women who received care compliant with Step 4 and Step 6 were more likely to initiate breastfeeding within one hour after birth, regardless of mode of birth. The study also found that exposure to Step 4 and Step 6 explained part of the association between caesarean section and breastfeeding initiation. This reinforces the importance of immediate skin-to-skin contact, avoiding unnecessary supplementation, skilled support after both vaginal and caesarean births, and consistent implementation of baby-friendly practices across maternity and newborn care settings.
Emergency and vulnerable settings require special attention. WHO Sri Lanka has highlighted that emergencies can create barriers to breastfeeding, including limited maternal nutrition intake, stress and exhaustion, low perception of milk adequacy and pressure to use formula feeds. The Family Health Bureau has also issued guidance on protecting and supporting breastfeeding among mothers displaced by the November 2025 floods, including guidance against well-intentioned but harmful donations of infant formula. These realities show why breastfeeding support must be integrated into emergency preparedness and response, including clear communication, protection from inappropriate donations and continuity of skilled counselling.
Workplace and community support remain essential for sustaining breastfeeding after mothers return to work. It is noted that estate sector arrangements included maternity benefits such as clinic leave, paid maternity leave, special allowances after childbirth, crèche facilities, flexible working arrangements and paid hours to breastfeed. However, Free Trade Zone settings showed opportunities for improvement, with challenges including busy work schedules, limited transport, lack of paid leave to attend clinics, varying implementation of maternity benefits, absence of paternity leave, low awareness among authorities on parental benefits and limited baby-friendly work policies.
Commercial influence is another continuing challenge. In 2025, the digital marketing of breastmilk substitutes was recognized by the World Health Assembly as a growing concern, with a resolution calling for stronger regulation. In Sri Lanka, Cabinet approval has been granted for preparation of a Promotion of Breastfeeding Bill, with the aim of protecting children from unethical and harmful commercial influence, safeguarding breastfeeding as a scientifically proven intervention and sustaining the country’s global leadership in breastfeeding.
Investing in breastfeeding delivers lasting returns
Further, WHO, UNICEF and partners of the Global Breastfeeding Collective emphasize that breastfeeding is one of the most cost-effective investments a country can make in its people. The updated Global Investment Case for Breastfeeding highlights that investing in proven breastfeeding interventions yields substantial health, social and economic returns, including reduced healthcare costs, improved cognitive development, enhanced educational attainment and increased productivity across the life course.
The investment case identifies a package of evidence-based interventions at three levels.
At the health-system level, priorities include antenatal breastfeeding counselling, skilled support during childbirth, immediate skin-to-skin contact, implementation of the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative, support for mothers undergoing caesarean section, and postnatal breastfeeding counselling.
At the community level, investments should strengthen community-based counselling, peer support networks, family engagement and outreach services to ensure continued breastfeeding support beyond health facilities.
At the policy and enabling-environment level, countries are encouraged to fully implement and enforce the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes, strengthen maternity protection and paid family leave policies, create breastfeeding-friendly workplaces, and integrate breastfeeding into national health, nutrition and social protection programmes.
WHO and UNICEF therefore call on countries to strengthen health systems to provide quality breastfeeding support for mothers and newborns, expand community-based counselling and peer programmes, invest in supportive workplace policies, protect families from inappropriate marketing of breast-milk substitutes, integrate breastfeeding interventions across antenatal, perinatal and postnatal care, and sustain breastfeeding support in humanitarian and fragile settings. These investments can accelerate progress towards breastfeeding targets, improve maternal and child health outcomes, and contribute to healthier, more resilient societies.
For Sri Lanka, these recommendations are directly relevant. Breastfeeding support should be strengthened across the continuum of care, beginning during pregnancy through high-quality antenatal breastfeeding counselling, continuing during labour and delivery through baby-friendly practices, and extending after birth through postnatal follow-up, community-based counselling, peer support and family engagement. Support after caesarean section, support for small and sick newborns, and support for mothers returning to work should be prioritized so that no mother is left to manage breastfeeding challenges alone.
WHO Sri Lanka is supporting national efforts to strengthen antenatal breastfeeding counselling as a practical and high-impact intervention. The planned initiative with the Ministry of Health and Perinatal Society of Sri Lanka will develop and disseminate key messages addressing stress and positive thinking, assessing the adequacy of breastfeeding, expressing and storing breastmilk, the disadvantages of even a single cow’s milk feed, workplace support for breastfeeding mothers, positive family involvement and the rights of working mothers. Planned activities include social media posts, short educational videos, posters and point-of-care materials for government and private hospital antenatal clinics and field antenatal clinics, together with a launch and media briefing.
This World Breastfeeding Week, WHO Sri Lanka reaffirms its commitment to work with the Ministry of Health, professional bodies, development partners, workplaces, families and communities to protect Sri Lanka’s breastfeeding achievements and strengthen what works. By investing in antenatal counselling, skilled facility support, community systems, workplace protection, emergency-responsive services and safeguards against inappropriate marketing, Sri Lanka can continue to give every child the best possible start in life and every mother the support she needs.
As we commemorate World Breastfeeding Week 2026, WHO Representative to Sri Lanka Dr Rajesh Sambhajirao Pandav noted, “Sri Lanka’s breastfeeding achievements show what sustained public health commitment can deliver. The next step is to strengthen what works and ensure every mother receives timely, skilled and compassionate support.”