On 21 May 2021, the World celebrates the 40th Anniversary of the adoption of the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes (otherwise known as the Code) by the 34th World Health Assembly on 21 May 1981. The Code aims to contribute to the provision of safe and adequate nutrition for infants by the protection and promotion of breast-feeding, and by ensuring the proper use of breast-milk substitutes by restricting promotions that target the general public, mothers and health workers.

In collaboration with UNICEF, the WHO, and partners, the Global Breastfeeding Collective will host a virtual meeting via Zoom to celebrate this  milestone. This event aims to engage and equip delegates to strengthen country-level implementation of the Code, including its subsequent resolutions. As one in a series of major global events in the Year of Action on Nutrition, midway through the United Nations (UN) Decade of Action on Nutrition, the Code at 40 Celebration will focus on protecting babies’ health by calling on governments to make specific, measurable, time-bound (SMART) policy commitments to implement and enforce the Code, including subsequent resolutions. This event marks the beginning of a year of outputs and events focusing on strengthening implementation of the Code undertaken by the Global Breastfeeding Collective partners and its partner organisations.