UNICEF Turkmenistan supports Government in marking National Breastfeeding WeekAshgabat, Turkmenistan, 1 Sept 2005 – UNICEF Turkmenistan has joined Government ministries in marking Turkmenistan’s National Breastfeeding Week from 1-7 September, through events and publicity to raise public awareness of the importance to children’s health and development of breastfeeding. Events to encourage breastfeeding are held in more than 120 countries at different times each year and UNICEF fully supports the Turkmen Health Ministry’s own nationwide campaign, and will also jointly organise a roundtable discussion on 6 September with participants from Parliament and various ministries and state services to discuss how to further promote and protect breastfeeding practices in this country. “Breastfeeding is a traditional practice in Turkmenistan. UNICEF and the Ministry of Health and Medical Industry are working together to create a conducive environment that allows all mothers to exclusively breastfeed their children up to the age of 6 months, and continue breastfeeding up to the age of 2 years,” says Mahboob Shareef, UNICEF Representative in Turkmenistan. Working alongside the Government, UNICEF Turkmenistan is fully committed to supporting ‘Baby-Friendly Hospitals’ which emphasize exclusive breastfeeding as one of the ways to reduce infant and maternal mortality. At present, almost 60 percent of all newborns in Turkmenistan are being born in such hospitals which provide children a better start in life and encourage mothers to exclusively breastfeed. With financial and technical support from UNICEF, some 44 maternity wards in Turkmenistan have already been certified as “Baby-Friendly” and thousands of health workers have been trained, with many more undergoing training. “Improvements in breastfeeding and complementary feeding are essential for success in child survival, and to ensure that children develop in a manner that they may best benefit from education and opportunity. If we are to fulfil the promise of the Millennium Declaration and the Millennium Development Goals, we must renew our attention to those interventions that are effective, affordable and have significant impact” adds Shareef. UNICEF regards its work with Turkmenistan’s authorities to celebrate National Breastfeeding Week as another constructive outcome of the joint collaboration between the Government of Turkmenistan and the United Nations Children’s Fund and remains committed to working with the government to help it fulfil its national priorities and international obligations covering children’s rights. For more information, please contact Mr. Brian Hansford, UNICEF Communication Specialist, at:
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