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Breastmilk is an invaluable source of nutrition. Just as the mother���s womb is the cradle for conceiving God���s miracle of life, so is mother���s breast the perfect plantation that produces a uniquely orchestrated immune -nutrient tissue specifically designed for the newborn���s needs. As the womb increases in size and function to meet the needs of the growing fetus, the mammary gland also develops to prepare the milk needed to feed the newborn

Adequate and appropriate feeding practices are crucial for the optimal growth and development of infants and young children. Breastfeeding has been identified by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) as the single most effective and affordable feeding practice that should be adopted for good infant health and improved survival, I personally consider it a natural vaccine given by God!. However, Healthy maternal nutrition, exclusive breastfeeding, and optimal infant and young child nutrition are critical, across the life course, to ensuring appropriate growth and development, as well as reducing the risk of developing noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), for both mothers and children. NCDs are the leading cause of death and disability in the World, while some parts of the Eastern Mediterranean Region also face persistent challenges of inadequate nutrition. Policies to support, promote and protect breastfeeding and appropriate infant and young child feeding (IYCF) are key to tackling this double burden of malnutrition and can play a critical role in achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In May 2018 the Seventy-first World Health Assembly adopted a resolution urging Countries to increase investment to protect and promote breastfeeding; to reinvigorate the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI; to strengthen measures to give effect to the International Code of Marketing of Breast?milk Substitutes (“the Code”); to promote timely and adequate complementary feeding; to end inappropriate promotion of foods for infants and young children; and more.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine (ABM) support breastfeeding. In a 2012 policy statement ���Breastfeeding and the use of human milk,��� the AAP supports exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) for six months. The ABM issued a number of breastfeeding management protocols for guiding medical practitioners in their practice. WHO and UNICEF support EBF for 6 months and continued breastfeeding (CBF) for 2 years or more (7). The policies emphasize that all health care providers should advocate for breastfeeding as well as be knowledgeable and skillful in its management. Physicians serving mothers and babies should update their practice using evidence-based guide?lines in order to achieve optimal outcomes in their practice with mothers and children by encouraging timely early initiation, EBF and CBF.

Breastfeeding promotion and support is a mandate for achieving optimum health and wellbeing for children and future generations in the Eastern Mediterranean region (EMR) where one half of the countries and two thirds of its population suffer or are recovering from conflict. Despite all efforts by governments, world summit meetings and efforts of international organizations, breastfeeding remains challenged. Henceforth, countries are struggling to meet the recommendations for exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life and continued breastfeeding for two years. Despite the support from the Human rights commission and Convention of the rights of the child for mothers to breastfeed, violations to the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk continue to prevail. The coming decade represents a real challenge for countries to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Breastfeeding is the most cost effective and efficient intervention to achieve these goals.

In this article we review Arab countries of the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) that are located west of the Asian continent. These countries include Iraq, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and the State of Palestine. The culture of these countries are influenced by the Mediterranean and European countries, and differ from the Gulf and Arabian countries in the south that are more influenced by the Indian and Far East Asian culture. However both the north and south have been mostly influenced by the spread of Islam from the Hejaz region of Saudi Arabia and have shared a long history of commercial and historic holy events that have bonded the region into a united Arab culture that has witnessed the course of holy religions from ages long foreseen ending in our prophet Muhammad (SAS). The teachings of the Quran and preceding Holy Books have strongly supported and emphasized Breastfeeding as a holy practice for fulfillment of a satisfying and complete experience of motherhood, and as a right for every child. It is thereby a responsibility, inherent to such Arabian and Islamic communities, to support breastfeeding.