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Dear friends,

The breastfeeding movement has come a long way. It was 100 years ago, in 1903, that the International Congress of Obstetrician’s meeting in Paris, France, expressed the concern that pediatricians and clinics were encouraging artificial feeding at the expense of breastfeeding. The seeds for a breastfeeding movement can be said to have been laid then.

Today, the issue of breastfeeding transcends disciplines and the seeds have since sprouted and have roots in communities and international agencies alike. It was felt that it is time that the breastfeeding movement has its very own charter that clearly lays down our principles and reasons for us to support the breastfeeding cause.

The World Breastfeeding Charter could not only consolidate the breastfeeding movement, but also act as a social mobilisation tool to further generate public and network partners’ awareness on the importance of breastfeeding.

We would like to invite you to join us in this participatory process of developing the World Breastfeeding Charter. Based on the first rounds of consultation on the idea, a workshop at the WABA Global Forum II in September, Arusha, Tanzania, and feedback from posters put up at the Forum, it was the feeling that the Charter should be a simple and powerful social mobilising tool.

Liew Mun Tip, WABA Project Coordinator, and I have done a poster and a background document as a starting point for developing the idea. We hope to have a very participatory process over the next few months both through the network and with our partners. This draft is available on a dedicated website called www.worldbreastfeedingcharter.net. We like to have your feedback .

1. Comments on the Draft Charter: its principles and format.
   
2. Comments on the background document: issues covered, language etc
   
3. Action Ideas: as we are developing, together with the Charter, a list of “99 action ideas to protect, promote and support breastfeeding”, we would like to hear from you about creative ideas for action that should be included.
   

You can give your comments to us by emailing us at waba@waba.org.my or mailing your ideas to the address below.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Anwar Fazal
Chairperson Emeritus

Liew Mun Tip
Project Coordinator