MOGADISHU, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- Somalia has joined the rest of the world in marking the World Breastfeeding Week, aiming to create supportive and sustainable environments that empower mothers and their families to breastfeed their babies.

Speaking at a commemorative event on Saturday, Minister of Health Ali Haji Adam said breastfeeding is a critical foundation for a child's health, development, and survival as it delivers lifelong benefits not just for children, but for mothers, families, and communities.

"The government is committed to creating sustainable support systems that protect, promote, and enable breastfeeding across the country," Adam said in a statement issued in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, on Saturday evening.

The World Breastfeeding Week is held annually from Aug. 1 to 7, supported by the World Health Organization, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), ministries of health, and civil society partners.

Adam said this year's theme, "Prioritize Breastfeeding: Create Sustainable Support Systems," recognizes the barriers that breastfeeding families face, including a lack of paid time off from work to breastfeed, inadequate parental leave after childbirth, and insufficient protection from marketing of breastmilk substitutes like baby formula.

He said the Somali government will continue to implement policies that strengthen maternal health services, train frontline workers, raise awareness, and ensure mothers receive the support they need.

In Somalia, six in 10 children are breastfed within an hour of birth, while one in three are exclusively breastfed for the first six months, and half are breastfed continuously for two years and beyond, according to UNICEF.

A major reason for the low rates of exclusive breastfeeding is the absence of legal measures against the unethical marketing of breastmilk substitutes, which are advertised as an alternative to breastfeeding, said the statement. ■