Sharjah: The topic of mother and child care is the focus once again as Sharjah prepares to host the third Global Breastfeeding Summit for the first time on December 7-8 at the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Previously held in Qatar and Spain, the conference will welcome delegates from 17 countries to take part in various sessions discussing breastfeeding practices, and ways to promote the practice among new mothers.
Dr Hessa Al Gazzal, director of the Maternal and Child Health Centre in Sharjah and executive director of Sharjah Baby-Friendly Campaign, told Gulf News that there has been an increase in the number of women breastfeeding in Sharjah. “I can confirm that there is an increase, however, the numbers will be revealed at the summit in December,” she said.
The conference will give delegates, doctors, and researchers from around the world a chance to present studies and posters highlighting the situation in their countries. The discussions will be led by global breastfeeding experts, in order to develop top-priority recommendations for their countries on how to increase the national breastfeeding rates by improving current health policies, medical education, and supporting parents.
With statistics showing that over 200,000 children’s lives could be saved annually around the world through breastfeeding, Sharjah is moving towards becoming a baby-friendly city.
The Sharjah Baby-Friendly Campaign (SBFC), which was launched in 2012 by Shaikha Budour Bint Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairperson of the Sharjah Investment and Development Authority, aims to transform the emirate into a baby-friendly city by empowering mothers to breastfeed with the support of health facilities and the community.
The conference will support Sharjah’s move and will include a tour for all international guests to malls, parks, and other spots around the city that have allocated areas for mothers to breastfeed their children.
It will also highlight the importance of breastfeeding for all infants, especially in the first six months of life and ideally up to a year.
The details of the event were revealed during an announcement for a parallel conference under the title ‘Bright Start’ that will also discuss the importance of child care, the effects of technological influences, and parent-child communication on December 7-8 at Sharjah University.
