World Breastfeeding Week is celebrated every year from 1 to 7 August to encourage breastfeeding and improve the health of babies around the world. It commemorates the Innocenti Declaration signed in August 1990 by government policymakers, WHO, UNICEF and other organizations to protect, promote and support breastfeeding. Breastfeeding is the best way to provide infants with the nutrients they need. WHO recommends exclusive breastfeeding starting within one hour after birth until a baby is 6 months old. Nutritious complementary foods should then be added while continuing to breastfeed for up to 2 years or beyond. World Breastfeeding Week 2026 The theme for 2026 is Breastfeeding for a sustainable start in life: strengthen what works. The 2026 theme for the World Breastfeeding Week focuses on tracking progress, evaluating impact, and scaling proven approaches that improve breastfeeding outcomes. It calls on governments, health systems, workplaces, communities, civil society organizations, and families to build on successful experiences and strengthen the "Warm Chain of Support" for breastfeeding. The interventions are proven. The economic returns are exceptional. The remaining challenge is not knowing what works – it is investing at sufficient scale. This includes efforts to strengthen: Skilled Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) Counselling - Counselling and education has been shown to substantially increase exclusive breastfeeding rates. A systematic review that pooled estimates across 16 studies found that when intervention is delivered through health facilities, communities and households, exclusive breastfeeding rates increased by 58%. Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) - The Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding lay out essential components of optimal clinical care for new mothers and their infants. Effectiveness studies involving 15,096 newborns found that implementation of BFHI led to a 45% increase in exclusive breastfeeding rates at 6 months and 26% increase in continued breastfeeding. National Mass Media Campaigns - A systematic review of 16 studies found that media interventions integrated with counselling and community mobilization increased exclusive breastfeeding by 17%. The International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes - Countries with legislation substantially aligned with the Code report exclusive breastfeeding rates of 54% on average, compared with only 24% in countries with no legal measures. Paid Maternity Leave - A systematic review of 35 studies from low- and middle-income countries found that paid maternity leave was associated with a 52% increase in exclusive breastfeeding. Workplace Breastfeeding Support - Workplace breastfeeding support policies and programmes are associated with significantly higher rates of exclusive breastfeeding. WHO and UNICEF Recommendation for Optimal Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) Practices Early initiation of breastfeeding within one hour of birth Exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life Continued breastfeeding up to two years of age or beyond, with the introduction of nutritionally adequate and safe complementary (solid) foods at six months Source: WHO World breastfeeding Week website Related resources WHO Infographics on Breastfeeding World Breastfeeding Week IEC Materials