The Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI) supported the World Health Organization resolution on Regulating the digital marketing of breast-milk substitutes—a resolution that was ultimately adopted at the 78th World Health Assembly—through the event “Monitoring Digital Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes,”
The event was held in partnership with Colansa (Comunidad de Práctica Latinoamérica y Caribe Nutrición y Salud), UNICEF, IBFAN and Brazil’s Ministry of Health, in collaboration with ICICT, World Obesity Federation, International Lactation Consultant Association (ILCA), Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz) and ALSANNA (Alianza Global para la Alimentación Saludable de Niñas, Niños y Adolescentes). It focused on one of the most urgent challenges in public health: the digital marketing of breast-milk substitutes. Digital marketing tactics include engaging influencers and health professionals online, as well as the use of emotive messaging to hyper-target parents and caregivers. These campaigns are undermining breastfeeding, a key contributor to early childhood development and lifelong health. This emerging digital marketing landscape is also threatening the protections set out in the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes (1981). The event discussed the challenges faced in regulating the digital marketing of breast-milk substitutes and highlighted innovative tools and technologies that are being used to monitor this practice.
We were thrilled to be joined by representatives of the resolution’s government sponsors: the Honorable Alexandre Padilha, Minister of Health of Brazil; Ambassador Francisca Elizabeth Mendez Escobar, Permanent Representative of Mexico to the United Nations Office at Geneva; Dr. Cathrine Marie Lofthus, Secretary-general, Ministry of Health and Care Services, Norway; Dr. Md Abu Jafor, representing the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare of Bangladesh; and Veronica Kirogo, representing the Ministry of Health of Kenya.
Marisa Macari, PhD, Senior Advisor for the Healthy Food Policy Advocacy Fund at GHAI, explained the importance of civil society organizations in helping countries adopt and implement regulations to protect public health: “Civil society plays a critical role in fostering political will, by showing governments that there's a strong coordinated constituency in support of public interest policies…. Civil society plays a role in providing technical assistance and legal assistance to governments who are crafting their own legislation to ensure it’s evidence based and strong.”
As Dr. Macari explained, the WHO resolution should be seen as the beginning of the process, not the end: “I think we can extend the political will behind the resolution and use it as a justification to push for stronger digital marketing regulations for all harmful ultra processed food products to limit and reduce the power and exposure that kids, adolescents, and all consumers have, to the digital marketing of ultra processed food.”
The event took place on May 21, 2025 in Geneva, Switzerland. Watch a video here: