Join us on Friday, August 7, at 11:00 a.m. (Washington, DC time or EST) on the webinar: Breastfeeding for a Sustainable Start in Life: Strengthen What Works. The webinar will provide an opportunity to celebrate achievements in breastfeeding, and also to examine what is working, identify gaps, and promote evidence-based actions that can be scaled and sustained.
How to participate
- DATE: Friday, August 7, 2026
- TIME: 11:00 a.m. (Washington, DC time or EST) [Check at the end of the page the time in other cities]
- LANGUAGES: Spanish and English with simultaneous interpretation in those languages
- REGISTER: https://paho-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_c4otcrUDR9KOMpAmhRPVMw#/registration
Agenda
Moderator: Lesly Vejar, Technical Officer, Malnutrition and Food Systems, Department of Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health, PAHO
11:00 a.m. Welcome Remarks, Vanessa Garcia Larsen, Chief, Risk Factors Unit, Department of Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health, PAHO
11:05 a.m. Strengthening Breastfeeding – What Works, Dr. Audrey Morris, Advisor, Food and Nutrition, Department of Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health, PAHO
11:20 a.m. An equitable start – The impact of human milk networks in saving the lives of preterm babies, Dr Pablo Duran, Advisor, Perinatal Health, Department of Health Systems and Services, PAHO
11:35 a.m. Country stories
- Bolivia
- Peru
- Uruguay
12:10 p.m. Q&A
12:30 p.m. Closing Remarks, Vanessa Garcia Larsen, Chief, Risk Factors Unit, Department of Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health, PAHO
Context
World Breastfeeding Week, observed annually from 1–7 August, is a global campaign coordinated by the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) to promote, protect, and support breastfeeding. The 2026 theme, Breastfeeding for a Sustainable Start in Life: Strengthen What Works, 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.
Breastfeeding is one of the most effective interventions to improve child survival, nutrition, health, and development. Breastfeeding provides optimal nutrition, protects children against infectious diseases, contributes to cognitive development, and reduces the risk of overweight and obesity later in life. Mothers also benefit through reduced risks of breast and ovarian cancers, type 2 diabetes, and improved birth spacing.
Breastfeeding practices in Latin America and the Caribbean remain below recommended levels. Less than half of infants under six months of age are exclusively breastfed, while early initiation of breastfeeding and continued breastfeeding through two years remain suboptimal in many countries. These gaps contribute to the region’s persistent triple burden of malnutrition – undernutrition, overweight and obesity, and micronutrient deficiencies.
However, some countries across the PAHO Region have demonstrated that progress is possible when breastfeeding is supported through coordinated and sustained actions, such as alignment of national laws with the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes, Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) implementation, workplace breastfeeding protection, community support networks, skilled counseling, and investment in human milk banks. Actions such as these have contributed to sustained improvements in exclusive breastfeeding rates and provide valuable lessons for other countries. Strengthening breastfeeding support systems is critical to improving nutrition, enhancing food security, reducing poverty, advancing gender equity, and advancing the Sustainable Development Goals.
Time in other cities
- 8:00 a.m. – Los Angeles, Vancouver.
- 9:00 a.m. - Belmopan, Guatemala City, Managua, Mexico City, San Salvador, San José (Costa Rica), Tegucigalpa.
- 10:00 a.m. - Bogotá, Kingston, Lima, Panama City, Quito,
- 11:00 a.m. - Havana, Port-au-Prince, Nassau, Ottawa, Washington D.C., Bridgetown, Caracas, Georgetown, La Paz, Port of Spain, San Juan, Santo Domingo, Saint George's, Saint John's (Antigua), Santiago.
- 12:00 p.m. – Asunción, Buenos Aires, Brasilia, Montevideo, Paramaribo.
- 5:00 p.m. – Geneva, Madrid.
For other cities, check the local times in the following link.