WABA is a global network that encompasses all working at the international, regional, national, and community level to protect, promote and support breastfeeding.

Everyone who is committed to a breastfeeding culture can be part of WABA: non-governmental organizations, community activists, health care workers, professional associations, university teaching staff, researchers, health officials and others.

The following graphic is overall structure of WABA. Click on the words inside to view more details.

WABA Secretariat team
(Standing from left to right: Sam, Derchana Devi, Jennifer Mourin, Julianna Lim, Susan Siew, Sarah Amin, Revathi, Amal, Dorothy Teng, Sita Letchmi)
together with SC Member
(Seating from left to right: Lourdes Fidalgo, Audrey Naylor, Raj Anand, Felicity Savage, Miriam Labbok, Arun Gupta)
Photo taken in October 2009. Click on the image to see full size photo

The Secretariat coordinates and maintains the flow of information between the General Assembly structures and the wider constituency of WABA. Its small office serves mainly to network and facilitate action in support of World Breastfeeding Week, and coordinate the other programmes of WABA.

The WABA General Assembly plays a larger role in policy making and has the right to vote on the Steering Committee members.
The WABA General Assembly consist of:

• Steering Committee
• Core Partners
• Regional Focal Points
• Task Force Coordinators and Co-Coordinators
• International Advisory Council

The Steering Committee is the principal management and policy making body of WABA.

Felicity Savage (Europe), Chairperson

Marta Trejos (Latin America), Co-Chair

Lourdes Fidalgo (Africa), Co-Chair

Miriam Labbok (North America), Member

Audrey Naylor (Global), Member

Arun Gupta (Asia Pacific), Member

Anwar Fazal (Malaysia), Chairperson Emeritus/Appointed Member

Core Partners are organisations and networks which work internationally mainly on breastfeeding related issues, and which endorse WABA.

IBFAN
Joyce Chanetsa/Andre Nkiema, Africa	Arun Gupta, Asia-Pacific	Marta Trejos, Latin America & the Caribbean	Lida Lhotska, Europe	Betty Sterken, North America
Marcos Arana, Official Liason person
LLLI
Rebecca Magalhaes, Official Liason Person North America	Anne Batterjee, Africa & Middle East	Ivy Makelin, Asia-Pacific	Veronica Garea, Latin America & the Caribbean	Juanita Jauer Steichen, Europe
ILCA
Isabelle Cote, North America	Angela Smith, Asia-Pacific	Susan Saunders, Europe	Roberta Graham de Escobedo, Latin America & the Caribbean	Johanna Bergerman, Official Liason Person
WELLSTART INTERNATIONAL
Veronica Gomez, Africa	Dure Akram, Asia-Pacific	Veronica Valdes, Latin America & the Caribbean	Ketevan Nemsadze, Europe	Vicki Nichols-Johnson, North America
Audrey Naylor, Official Liason Person
ABM
Rachel Musoke, Africa	Tomoko Seo, Asia-Pacific	Jose Gorrin, Latin America & the Caribbean	Elien Rouw, Europe	Ana Parilla, North America , Official Liason Person
Miriam Labbok, North America Official Liason Person

Regional Focal Points are institutions or organisations that assist WABA in networking, information support and social mobilisation activities at the regional level. These activities include:

• communicating, when appropriate, between WABA Secretariat and country contact points and relevant groups and individuals;
• coordinating WBW and the GLOPAR;
• translating, adapting and disseminating WBW materials and other appropriate WABA and partner materials;
• representing WABA at regional level;
• facilitating the endorsement of WABA;
• facilitating communication and common actions between WABA endorsers and other breastfeeding related organisations, and
• facilitating common actions between WABA's core partners, endorsers and allies from the human rights, health, environmental, and women's movements among others.

These are the specialised support arms of the WABA network. The Task Forces are:

• Code Compliance
• Mother Support
• Research
• Women & Work
• Health Care Practices
• Global Advocacy
• Local Governance

Code Compliance
To promote implementation of the International Code of Marketing Breastmilk Substitutes through training, development of legislation, production of materials and monitoring Code compliance.
Coordinator: Annelies Allain, ICDC/IBFAN Malaysia
Co-coordinator: Ray Maseko, IBFAN Africa, Swaziland

Mother Support ( Homepage )
To promote linking of mother support groups worldwide; enable them to train counselors and to expand the number of groups; to create the appropriate environment of awareness and support for a mother to initiate and sustain breastfeeding .
Co-coordinators
Paulina Smith , Mexico
Rebecca Magalhaes, LLLI, USA
Prashant Gangal, India

Research The Research task force objectives are:

• to increase advocacy & outreach to researchers & their organizations.
• to disseminate research findings relevant to protect, promote and support breastfeeding.
• to prepare briefing papers.
• to stimulate regular discussion among the breastfeeding network regarding research findings.

Women and Work ( Homepage )
To develop strategies to address the special needs of working women, through imaginative new legislation and other actions that assist women to integrate breastfeeding into their working lives
The Mother-Friendly Workplace initiative (MFWI) is growing and the task force will continue to develop the programme, including the SIDA seedgrants project for supporting working breastfeeding women.
Co-cordinators
Chris Mulford , USA
Ines Fernandez, Philippines
Elaine Cote, Switzerland

Health Care Practices ( Homepage )
To promote health care practices in hospitals and in the community that protect, promote and support breastfeeding according to the WHO/UNICEF Joint Statement on the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding.
This task force will link with various organizations working with human birthing, mother-baby friendly maternity care health professional associates & individuals (doctors, midwives, nutritionists, nurses, community promoters, & other health workers) on information, capacity building, advocacy & outreach.
Coordinator/Co-coordinator
Marina Rea, Brazil
Asha Benakappa, India
Rae Davies, USA

Global Advocacy
To advocate on critical, urgent and emerging issues and to reach out to other stakeholders in order to promote the objectives of the GSIYCF, Innocenti Declarations and MDGs.
Co-coordinator
Patti Rundall, UK
Mosadeq Sahebdin, Mauritius

Local Governance
To assist the Secretariat with its specific functions to meet with its legal requirements, attend statutory meetings and to advice on links with local groups.
Coordinator/ Co-coordinators
Siti Norjinah Moin, Malaysia
Rashidah Shuib, Malaysia
Balkees Abdul Majeed , Malaysia

Country Contacts are basic for WABA, many of whom are already linked to WABA core partners. They are individuals and organisations who are committed to an open and inclusive process involving inidividuals and organisations who protect, promote and support breastfeeding ; and who want to play an active role in WABA.

WABA aims to have as many as possible country contacts. No one organisation or individual is necessarily the exclusive representative of WABA in any given country. They

a. abide by WABA' principles as stated in the Endorsement Form;
b. act as distribution centres and facilitators for WABA activities in the country.
c. will be identified through a consultative process in coordination with Regional Focal Points and Core Partners, especially in large countries to enable more efficient communication.

WABA recognises the importance of National Breastfeeding Alliances and to encourage their development as country contacts. (See below Guidelines on Forming National Breastfeeding Alliances). National groups are advised to inform the WABA Secretariat of their intention to form a National Breastfeeding Alliance and to act as a WABA Country Contact.

Guidelines for National Breastfeeding Alliances:

WABA advocates alliance building among all supporters of breastfeeding. The initiator of a national network affiliated to WABA should be committed to an open and inclusive process involving all individuals and organisations who protect, promote and support breastfeeding.

There can be more than one WABA country contact, to enable more efficient communication. No one organisation or individual is the only representative of the WABA network in a given country. It may be desirable to have several contact persons, identified thorough a consultative process, especially in large countries.

All members of a national breastfeeding alliance affiliated to WABA must abide by the principles stated in the WABA Endorsement Form.

National Alliances for Breastfeeding should not use name of WABA, but other names (e.g. the Malaysia Alliance for Breastfeeding Action - MABA) and have their own structure and autonomy. They will be known as WABA Country Contacts.

To become a WABA participant, an organisation or individual should fill the WABA endorsement form for individual OR WABA endorsement form for Organisation and return a copy to the WABA Secretariat. This will ensure that you are on WABA's regular mailing list. As an endorser, you have a right to nominate Steering Committee members.

(country stated is current domicile)

1. Michael Latham (USA) - IAC co-chair
2. Elisabet Helsing (Norway) - IAC co-chair
3. Virginia Thorley (Australia)
4. Prof Talukder (Bangladesh)
5. Zafrullah Chowdhury (Bangladesh)
6. Cesar Victora (Brazil)
7. Jairo Osorno (Colombia)
8. Charles Sagoe Moses (Ghana)
9. Kamla Bhasin (India)
10. Armida Fernandez (India)
11. Erna Witoelar (Indonesia)
12. Song Vokyung (Korea)
13. Urban Jonsson (Laos)
14. Anne Devereux (New Zealand)
15. Maria Zuniga (Nicaragua)
16. Thandabantu Nhlapo (South Africa)
17. Ann Marie Widstrom (Sweden)
18. Roger Shrimpton (Switzerland)
19. Jean-Pierre Allain (Thailand)
20. Richard Jolly (UK)
21. Mary Renfrew (UK)
22. Anthony Costello (UK)
23. Naomi Baumslag (USA)
24. David Korten (USA)
25. Marian Tompson (USA)
26. Sharyle Patton (USA)
27. Meera Shekar (USA)
28. David Clark (USA)
29. Nomajoni Ntombela (South Africa)
30. Penny Van Esterik (Canada)
31. Beth Styer (USA)
32. Adriano Cattaneo (Italy)
33. Ruth Lawrence (USA)
34. Rukhsana Haider (Bangladesh)
35. Nand Wadhwani (India)
36. Flavio Valente (Germany)
37. Connie Lau (Hong Kong)
38. Stephen Lewis (Canada)
39. Pauline Kisanga (Swaziland)
40. Ted Greiner (South Korea)
41. Laurence Grummer-Strawn (USA)
42. Raj Anand (India)

Last update : 19th May 2010