VOA
10 Jul 2018, 08:05 GMT+10
The United States is disputing a newspaper report that it bullied and threatened nations in an effort to water down a World Health Assembly resolution supporting breastfeeding.
A State Department official said 'reports suggesting the United States threatened a partner nation related to a World Health Assembly resolution are false.'
However, the official acknowledged the U.S. negotiated to change the resolution.
A New York Times report Monday said the U.S. delegation at the assembly in Geneva this spring embraced 'the interest of infant formula manufacturers' and 'upended the deliberations.'
The resolution had been expected to be approved 'quickly and easily,' the newspaper said. Instead, the U.S. delegation 'sought to wear down the other participants through procedural maneuvers in a series of meetings that stretched on for two days, an unexpectedly long period.'
The State Department official said the U.S. believed 'the resolution as originally drafted called on states to erect hurdles for mothers seeking to provide nutrition to their children.'
The official said the United States 'recognizes that breastfeeding and provision of breast milk is best for all babies,' but also recognizes that 'not all women are able to breastfeed for a variety of reasons.'
The official said 'women should have access to full and accurate information about breastfeeding,' as well as 'full information about safe alternatives when breastfeeding is not possible.'
The Times said Ecuador was slated to introduce the breastfeeding resolution, but after the U.S. threatened to 'unleash punishing trade measures and withdraw crucial military aid,' it 'quickly acquiesced.'
The newspaper said more than a dozen participants from different countries at the assembly confirmed the 'showdown over the issue.' Many of them, however, asked to remain anonymous because they fear U.S. retaliation.
Health advocates had trouble finding another sponsor who did not fear U.S. 'retaliation.'
The Times said that in the end, the Russian delegation stepped in as the resolution's sponsor. It said that 'the Americans did not threaten them.'
Patti Rundall, policy director of the British advocacy group Baby Milk Action, told the newspaper, 'What happened was tantamount to blackmail, with the U.S. holding the world hostage and trying to overturn nearly 40 years of consensus on the best way to protect infant and young child health.'
The State Department official said the United States works 'to identify common cause when possible and does not shy away from expressing its disagreement when necessary.'
Cindy Saine contributed to this report.
Get a daily dose of South America Times news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to South America Times.
More InformationWASHINGTON DC - U.S. President Donald Trump has called on the Venezuelan military to abandon their president, and to throw ...
GENEVA, Switzerland - An international humanitarian and medical aid organisation operating in Syria has denounced the shelling of civilian areas ...
CAIRO, Egypt - Just days after foreign ministers from Arab nations sat down with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in ...
LONDON, UK - Seven Labour Party MPs have resigned from the party to form their own group with shared policies, ...
Diehard jihadists have blocked roads out of the last scrap of their Islamic State group "caliphate" in Syria, US-backed forces ...
Sexual violence in South Sudan has been rampant, prompting a call from the UN human rights office, OHCHR, for urgent ...
WASHINGTON DC - U.S. President Donald Trump has called on the Venezuelan military to abandon their president, and to throw ...
Tokyo [Japan], Feb 19 (ANI): Japan has joined a growing list of countries who have extended support to Venezuela's National ...
London [United Kingdom], Feb 19 ( Only two matches were able to make it to the tennis court on Monday ...
London [United Kingdom], Feb 19 (ANI): England spinner Adil Rashid, who had flew back home to attend the birth of ...
New Delhi [India], Feb 18 (ANI): In a special declaration, India and Argentina on Monday expressed their resolve to fight ...
New Delhi [India], Feb 18 (ANI): India and Argentina exchanged 10 Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) and agreements during the Argentine ...
DUBLIN, Ireland - Following its successful acquisition of Hollywood-based Blindlight, Irish video-gaming company Keywords Studios has now announced its latest accomplishment. Keywords r ...
Read More