 World Breastfeeding Week is a global campaign to raise awareness and incite action on themes related to breastfeeding. It honors the Innocenti Declaration signed in August 1990 by government policymakers, the World Health Organization, UNICEF and other organizations to protect, promote and support breastfeeding. World Breastfeeding Week started in 1992 and is observed annually during the first week of August and National Breastfeeding Month is observed for the entire month of August throughout many nations in the world. World Breastfeeding Week has been aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals since 2016. This year, the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action has selected the theme Protect Breastfeeding, a shared responsibility. The theme is aligned with Sustainable Development Goals 2030 campaign, which highlights the associations between breastfeeding and survival, health and well-being of women, children and nations. This year's objectives are to inform people about the importance of protecting breastfeeding, anchor breastfeeding support as a vital public health responsibility, engage with individuals and organizations for greater impact, and galvanize action on protecting breastfeeding to improve public health. PAHO's observations for World Breastfeeding Week will primarily focus on the International Code of Marketing of Breast Milk Substitutes. This code was adopted by the World Health Assembly in 1981 to protect families from the infant formula industry's aggressive marketing tactics aimed at promoting breast milk substitutes which was contributing to declining breastfeeding rates and increasing child mobility and mortality. The aim of the code is to contribute to the provision of safe and adequate nutrition for infants by the protection and promotion of breastfeeding and by ensuring the proper use of breast milk substitutes when these are necessary on the basis of adequate information and through appropriate marketing and distribution. This year, 2021 is the 40th anniversary of the code. UNICEF and WHO have called on governments, health workers and the baby food industry to fully implement and abide by the code's requirements. Governments must enact and enforce legislation to prevent commercial interests from undermining breastfeeding and optimal nutrition for infants. Health workers must protect, promote and support breastfeeding. They must not accept sponsorship from companies that market food for infants and young children for scholarships, awards, grants, meetings or events. Another focus is on the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative. This initiative was launched in 1991 by PAHO and UNICEF and has helped to motivate families providing maternity and newborn services worldwide to better support breastfeeding. The Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative is based on the 10 steps to successful breastfeeding. Adherents to the 10 steps positively impacts breastfeeding initiation and duration as well as breastfeeding outcome. PAHO recommends that health facilities implement measures to protect, promote and support breastfeeding starting in the period of antinatal care up to when mothers and newborns are discharged. Breastfeeding has many benefits and therefore expectant and nursing mothers require special protection such as maternity protection to enable breastfeeding and empower parents to successfully breastfeed their infants. Therefore, WHO recommends that employers implement policies including paid maternity leave, flexible or reduced working hours for breastfeeding mothers and a dedicated room for breastfeeding in the workplace that is private and hygienic. This will create a positive environment that will increase breastfeeding rates which will have a positive impact on the health of our infants and the nation as a whole.