PHA-Exch> Conflict of interest at WHO/UNICEF meeting: WABA Letter to Dr Chan and Ms Veneman

[Claudio Schuftan]

*

October 8, 2008

To

Dr Margaret Chan, Director General, WHO, Geneva

Ms Ann Veneman, Executive Director, UNICEF NY

Re: Concerns about conflict of interest
*

We are writing to express the concern of the World Alliance for

Breastfeeding Action and its Core partners, with 53 experts from 24

countries, attending the workshop on *"Protecting Promoting and Supporting

Breastfeeding from 6-24 months: Issues, Politics, Policies and Action" *in

Penang, Malaysia, to discuss how to support continued breastfeeding and

appropriate complementary feeding.

The *International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes *and

subsequent relevant World Health Assembly Resolutions, and national

regulations, protect mothers and children from any commercial influence that

undermines optimal infant and young child feeding practices. We appreciate

the role that WHO and UNICEF have played in upholding these policies

since 1981.

However, we are deeply concerned that the Global Alliance for Improved

Nutrition (GAIN) is participating in the meeting on *Strengthening Actions
to

Improve infant feeding in children 6-23 months of age, *taking place in

Geneva right now. They are thus in a position to influence the policy

directions of WHO and UNICEF.

The Board of GAIN includes among other food giants, a manufacturer of

breastmilk substitutes, DANONE, that systematically violates the

International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes. The

WHO/UNICEF partnership with GAIN constitutes a conflict of interest and is

in contradiction with WHO's own *Guidelines on Interaction with Commercial

Enterprises to Achieve Health Outcomes*, with Paragraph 44 of the *Global

Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding*, and with WHA Resolutions

49.15 (1996), 58.32 (2005) and 61.20 (2008).

The presence of GAIN in such a meeting legitimises its declared aim to build

markets for the commercial sector in the developing world especially for

commercial foods for infants and young children. We understand that GAIN

will have signed the declaration of interests of WHO experts. We expect

WHO and UNICEF to safeguard their independence and take care to avoid

conflict of interest, in any joint collaboration with such parties, ensuring
that

their policies and implementation strategies are based on the health needs

of the population rather than on the interests of their partners.

We respectfully call on WHO and UNICEF to immediately reconsider their

partnership with GAIN, and other similar organisations having conflicts of

interest, in the interests of protection of women and infant and young child

health, nutrition, survival and development.

We are confident that WHO and UNICEF will refrain from continuing

partnerships that undermine their independence and objectivity.

Yours sincerely,

Dr. Felicity Savage, Chair of WABA

On behalf of:

WABA Core partners

Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine

International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN)

International Lactation Consultant Association (ILCA)

La Leche League International

Wellstart International

Other member organisations

Health Education to Villages

Quebec Lactation Consultant Association, Canada

Cameroon Link

Citizens International, Malaysia

International Code Documentation Centre

Geneva Infant Feeding Association

Breastfeeding Promotion Network of India

Arugaan, The Philippines

CEFEMINA, Costa Rica

Baby Milk Action, UK

Training and Education on Ecology and Health, Mexico

INFACT Canada

>From the International Advisory Council of WABA

Prof. Michael Latham Cornell University

Prof Penny van Esterik, York University

Dr. Elisabet Helsing, University of Oslo
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