The best start in life. Breastfeeding for the prevention of noncommunicable diseases and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals in the WHO European Region (2020)

Healthy maternal nutrition, exclusive breastfeeding, and optimal infant and young child nutrition are critical for appropriate growth and development, as well as reducing the risk of developing noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), for both mothers and children. On 7–8 November 2018 the WHO Regional Office for Europe convened an international conference of key stakeholders to discuss good practices and share experiences on these important issues.

The WHO European Region lags behind on breastfeeding, and despite widespread understanding of what works, there is a persistent gap between knowledge and practice. There are, however, grounds for considerable optimism because some countries in the Region have among the highest breastfeeding rates worldwide, while others have recently achieved impressive increases in breastfeeding by taking policy action.

The European Region needs to reaffirm its commitment to promote, protect, support and strengthen healthy maternal nutrition, breastfeeding, and appropriate feeding of infants and young children. A series of priority actions were outlined.