From May 13 to May 31, 2019, the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC Committee) held its 81st Session in Geneva.
The committee elected Luis Ernesto Pederna Reyna as the new chairperson, and welcomed four new members: Bragi Gudbrandsson, Philip Jaffé, Faith Marshall-Harris and Aïssatou Sidikou.
The CRC Committee reviewed the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 6 countries: Tonga, Malta, Singapore, Cote d’Ivoire, Cabo Verde and Botswana. IBFAN submitted two alternative reports on the situation of infant and young child feeding in Malta and Singapore. Direct advocacy during the session allowed the Committee members to address relevant questions on the status of IYCF policies to the other countries under review.
In its Concluding Observations, the CRC Committee referred specifically to breastfeeding for all countries under review with the exception of Cote d’Ivoire. The recent National Policy and Action Plan on Breastfeeding (2015-2020) of Malta was welcomed, while Tonga, Singapore and Botswana were invited to develop a national programme for the protection, promotion and support of breastfeeding. Implementation of the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes was recommended to Tonga, Malta and Singapore.
Read the full post session report: here
Image from: www.roda.hr