<div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default" style="font-size:large"><br></div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">From: <b class="gmail_sendername" dir="auto">Patti Rundall, Baby Milk Action</b> <span dir="auto"><<a href="mailto:prundall@babymilkaction.org">prundall@babymilkaction.org</a>></span><br></div><br><u></u>
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<span class="m_-6760266038202163328mcnPreviewText" style="display:none;font-size:0px;line-height:0px;max-height:0px;max-width:0px;opacity:0;overflow:hidden">Call for rethink on Sunsetting of Code reporting. Senior UN Staff for IBFAN's Counter Call</span>
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<h1 style="display:block;margin:0;padding:0;color:#222222;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:40px;font-style:normal;font-weight:bold;line-height:150%;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:center"><span style="font-family:roboto,helvetica neue,helvetica,arial,sans-serif"><b>IBFAN and partners call for continued reporting of harmful baby food marketing</b></span></h1>
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<div><span style="font-family:roboto,helvetica neue,helvetica,arial,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:14px">A <a href="https://babymilkaction.us18.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c4d7655f8113c74ec9ce9fec1&id=b5cd9a8216&e=c77606d6a7" style="color:#007c89;font-weight:normal;text-decoration:underline" target="_blank">Decision</a> 'noted' at the <a href="https://babymilkaction.us18.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c4d7655f8113c74ec9ce9fec1&id=da619508d8&e=c77606d6a7" style="color:#007c89;font-weight:normal;text-decoration:underline" target="_blank">73rd World Health Assembly</a> to end reporting on the <a href="https://babymilkaction.us18.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c4d7655f8113c74ec9ce9fec1&id=58ee5bcc4e&e=c77606d6a7" style="color:#007c89;font-weight:normal;text-decoration:underline" target="_blank">International Code</a> to the World Health Assembly after 2030 is causing alarm amongst the public health community.</span><br>
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<b>IBFAN's statement outlining 10 reasons why the Decision should be recalled or amended is <a href="https://babymilkaction.us18.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c4d7655f8113c74ec9ce9fec1&id=c5b9da997b&e=c77606d6a7" style="color:#007c89;font-weight:normal;text-decoration:underline" target="_blank">HERE </a>.</b><span style="font-size:14px"> If you agree with our analysis please share with your<a href="https://babymilkaction.us18.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c4d7655f8113c74ec9ce9fec1&id=f5a3e68dbc&e=c77606d6a7" style="color:#007c89;font-weight:normal;text-decoration:underline" target="_blank"> government representatives</a> and request that the decision is recalled or amended. <b>Member States are invited to submit comments to WHO by 2nd December. </b><br>
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IBFAN<b> </b>made a <a href="https://babymilkaction.us18.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c4d7655f8113c74ec9ce9fec1&id=d2b4ae8edc&e=c77606d6a7" style="color:#007c89;font-weight:normal;text-decoration:underline" target="_blank">statement</a> during the WHA and later met WHO senior staff to explain our concerns. While </span><span style="font-size:12px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-decoration:none;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px"><span style="font-size:14px">we understand the need for WHO to streamline and 'sunset' redundant topics, this </span></span><span style="font-size:14px">decision has legal implications and long term harmful consequences for maternal and child health.</span><span style="font-size:12px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-decoration:none;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px"><span style="font-size:14px"> WHO assured us of its strong commitment to the Code and the protection of breastfeeding and its wish to work together with IBFAN for the protection of child health. Also that if the </span></span><span style="font-size:12px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-decoration:none;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px"><span style="font-size:14px">unintended consequence of a broader governance issue is implied as a lack of WHO’s support for the Code, that needs to be corrected.</span></span><span style="font-size:12px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-decoration:none;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px"><span style="font-size:14px"> </span></span><span style="font-size:14px"> </span></span><br>
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<span style="font-size:14px"><b>Short summary of the 10 reasons why there should be a rethink:</b></span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family:roboto,helvetica neue,helvetica,arial,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:14px"><b>On technical grounds </b>due to the meeting being online. (see Point 1)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family:roboto,helvetica neue,helvetica,arial,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:14px"><b>The Code should be considered an exception </b>as an important work in progress. (See Point 2)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family:roboto,helvetica neue,helvetica,arial,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:14px"><b>On legal grounds.</b> The Code is in a 'class of its own' in terms of international human rights law and places obligations on Member States and the WHO to implement and enforce it and commercial companies to comply with it. (Point 3)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family:roboto,helvetica neue,helvetica,arial,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:14px"><b>The Code is not a time-defined goal</b> like the MDGs or SDGs. WHO has a responsibility to alert its Member States to any threat to global health. This must include harmful commercial promotion on baby foods, tobacco, ultra-processed products etc. (Point 4)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family:roboto,helvetica neue,helvetica,arial,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:14px"><b>Reporting to the WHA on the Code</b> <b>should not end</b> until there is convincing evidence that it is no longer needed<b> </b>(point 5)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family:roboto,helvetica neue,helvetica,arial,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:14px"><b>Governments and WHO have legal obligations</b> under the <a href="https://babymilkaction.us18.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c4d7655f8113c74ec9ce9fec1&id=486fac90c9&e=c77606d6a7" style="color:#007c89;font-weight:normal;text-decoration:underline" target="_blank">WHO Constitution</a> and the <a href="https://babymilkaction.us18.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c4d7655f8113c74ec9ce9fec1&id=253f0a90be&e=c77606d6a7" style="color:#007c89;font-weight:normal;text-decoration:underline" target="_blank">Code</a> itself. Their removal will have serious consequences for maternal and child Health. (Point 6)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family:roboto,helvetica neue,helvetica,arial,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:14px"><b>'Sunsetting' the Code will undermine the adoption of new Resolutions </b>that keep pace with evolving marketing and help governments improve legislation. (Point 7)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family:roboto,helvetica neue,helvetica,arial,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:14px"><b>There is </b><a href="https://babymilkaction.us18.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c4d7655f8113c74ec9ce9fec1&id=7921b054c6&e=c77606d6a7" style="color:#007c89;font-weight:normal;text-decoration:underline" target="_blank"><b>evidence that exploitation</b> </a>and misleading marketing of baby foods increases with pandemics such as the COVID-19.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family:roboto,helvetica neue,helvetica,arial,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:14px"><b>There is no evidence that companies will abide by voluntary codes</b> (Points 9 and 10) </span></span></li>
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<hr>Former <a href="https://babymilkaction.us18.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c4d7655f8113c74ec9ce9fec1&id=de686fa0bf&e=c77606d6a7" style="color:#007c89;font-weight:normal;text-decoration:underline" target="_blank">UNICEF Deputy Exec. Directors <span style="font-size:14px">Kul Gautam and Sir Richard Jolly and Peter Greaves</span> join IBFAN’s Counter Call</a><br>
The sunsetting decision is closely linked to an initiative launched in June entitled, <a href="https://babymilkaction.us18.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c4d7655f8113c74ec9ce9fec1&id=e5da0c1ef6&e=c77606d6a7" style="color:#007c89;font-weight:normal;text-decoration:underline" target="_blank">Breastmilk Substitutes Call to Action</a>(CTA). The CTA called on companies to make voluntary commitments (by September 2020) explaining how they would abide by the International Code and Resolutions by 2030. We are told that none of the companies approached met even the minimum CTA requirements. In our meeting with WHO, we reiterated our call that WHO should distance itself from the CTA and its voluntary approach. The CTA sends confusing messages to Member States and implies that it is wise to trust that companies will comply with the Code. We believe WHO should focus its attention of helping build strong legislation.
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<b>For other news about <a href="https://babymilkaction.us18.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c4d7655f8113c74ec9ce9fec1&id=2ba27ec6d3&e=c77606d6a7" style="color:#007c89;font-weight:normal;text-decoration:underline" target="_blank">Codex</a>, <a href="https://babymilkaction.us18.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c4d7655f8113c74ec9ce9fec1&id=93c559c67c&e=c77606d6a7" style="color:#007c89;font-weight:normal;text-decoration:underline" target="_blank">UK legislation</a> read our <a href="https://babymilkaction.us18.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c4d7655f8113c74ec9ce9fec1&id=918897fb1d&e=c77606d6a7" style="color:#007c89;font-weight:normal;text-decoration:underline" target="_blank">Policy Blog</a> and Update 49</b></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td id="m_-6760266038202163328templateFooter" style="background:#333333 none no-repeat center/cover;background-color:#333333;background-image:none;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-position:center;background-size:cover;border-top:0;border-bottom:0;padding-top:45px;padding-bottom:63px" valign="top" align="center"><br></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></center></div>
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