What is the BFHI Network?
The Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative Network, more commonly referred to as the BFHI Network, is an independent, international, not-for-profit, membership organization, incorporated in the country of Canada. The organization’s goal is to ensure that all mothers and their infants throughout the world receive the evidence-based care practices embodied in the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding through the complete implementation of the WHO/UNICEF Baby–Friendly Hospital Initiative and its expansion programs. Full membership status is open to the National Coordinator of the Baby Friendly Hosptial Initiative in each country who submits an application and attests to uphold the principles of the organization.
The BFHI Network was created as an informal organization in 1997 when WHO convened a meeting of National BFHI Coordinators from the Baltic, Central and Eastern European Countries and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CEE/CIS) to work collaboratively on solutions to common obstacles, unique to these countries, to successful implementation of the BFHI. Those obstacles included opposition from the health care establishment, difficulty in obtaining funding, and lack of awareness or acceptance of the need for the initiative among government departments, the health care system and parents. Some BFHI coordinators from western Europe were also invited and ultimately requested that the experience be replicated in their countries. In June 2001, WHO honored that request and convened a meeting in London, UK. Since then, the BFHI Network has grown and evolved into a structured organization. It organizes a 3-day meeting every 2 years, and since 2016 organized several smaller committees: Coordination Committee, External Relations Committee, Network Development Committee and Meeting Planning Committee.
What are the Aims of the BFHI Network?
ADOPT
To stimulate wider adoption and expansion of the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) best practice standards throughout countries.
EXPAND
To work towards the expansion of the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative into the Community, Neonatal Wards, Universities, Workplaces and other settings.
SUPPORT
To support the implementation of related WHA resolutions and WHO and UNICEF recommendations and standards of care as related to breastfeeding including the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes and related WHA resolutions.
SHARE
To continually improve the knowledge on issues related to BFHI implementation and expansion by sharing knowledge and research findings and by stimulating related research.
AGREE
To strengthen ties, to offer mutual support and to build agreements on common strategies that address constraints to National BFHI implementation and expansion, among members.
COLLABORATE
To share up-to-date information on BFHI implementation, experiences and good practices, barriers and difficulties and strategies to overcome them and help the expansion of the BFHI, among members.
DISSEMINATE
To disseminate up-to-date information, research findings, experiences, good practices and strategies related to the implementation and expansion of the BFHI among the public including families, breastfeeding support associations, international associations and others who are not members of the Network.
HELP
To help members and other interested code-compliant non-member persons implement and expand the BFHI, by sharing knowledge and expertise, experiences and strategies as deemed needed or asked for.
IMPLEMENT
To raise increased support to BFHI implementation and expansion and to the work of the National BFHIs throughout the world.
What is the Relationship Between the BFHI Network, WHO, UNICEF and the Global Breastfeeding Collective?
The BFHI Network is a not-for-profit organization that is independent of the Global Breastfeeding Collective, UNICEF and WHO but actively works in collaboration with all three organizations. The BFHI Network also works in collaboration with many global and multi-regional, international organizations.
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