Ashgabat Held a High-Level Forum on Breastfeeding Support
On August 5, a high-level national roundtable discussion on strengthening systems to support exclusive breastfeeding was held at the Yyldyz Hotel in Ashgabat. The forum, timed to World Breastfeeding Week, was organized by the Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov Charitable Foundation for Assistance to Children in Need of Care and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Turkmenistan. The large-scale meeting was attended by Vice President of the Foundation Oguljahan Atabayeva, UN Resident Coordinator in Turkmenistan Xiaojun Grace Wang, UNICEF Representative Jalpa Ratna, as well as parliamentarians, senior officials from the Ministry of Health, and representatives of diplomatic missions and international financial institutions.
Welcoming the participants, UN representatives emphasized the productive nature of their collaboration with Turkmenistan in the area of maternal and child health. In turn, the Foundation's Vice President for Medical Activities, Oguljahan Atabaeva, noted that the country is implementing the national principle of "Healthy Mother - Healthy Child - Healthy Future," enshrined in the state program "Health" and the Law of Turkmenistan "On the Promotion and Support of Breastfeeding." She emphasized that investing in breastfeeding during the first six months of life builds the nation's healthy potential.
To develop a maternal support system across the country, the Foundation's Vice President proposed scaling up peer-to-peer consultations with certified lactation specialists, launching a broad media campaign, and encouraging local businesses to create conditions for breastfeeding women. During thematic sessions, experts presented the results of scientific research, summarized the joint campaign "Breastfeeding - The Best Start," and discussed legal mechanisms for protecting motherhood and childhood, concluding the meeting with the development of a concrete joint action plan.
