A/HRC/43/44/Add.1 cent).29 That is the consequence of a non-diversified diet and insufficient and inadequate food. 73. Anaemia in pregnancy is an important health issue resulting in high maternal morbidity and mortality. The prevalence of anaemia among pregnant women in Azerbaijan is a key contributor to the nearly 1 in 10 children born with low birth weight and an estimated 4.9 per cent of children aged less than five who are underweight.30 That should be considered a public health problem that can be solved with a healthy, diversified diet, without medicalization of the food system. Breastfeeding 74. In 2018, only 12.1 per cent of mothers reportedly breastfed exclusively during the first six months of their babies’ lives. 31 According to different sources, data on breastfeeding is not reliable and the proportion of mothers breastfeeding exclusively during the first six months might be lower than that owing to the lack of reliable data. 75. The most recent nutrition survey in 2013 showed that, although 91.4 per cent of children aged less than 24 months had ever been breastfed, only about one tenth of children aged less than 6 months had been exclusively breastfed. Fewer than 50 per cent of children aged one were still being breastfed.32 76. There are many factors that contribute to the low rate of breastfeeding in Azerbaijan. Cultural beliefs or poor knowledge may influence a mother’s decision not to breastfeed, health workers may not promote it to new mothers and the availability of breast-milk substitutes can distract mothers away from breastfeeding. The Special Rapporteur was informed that some doctors and health professionals in Azerbaijan are recommending that mothers not exclusively breastfeed but complement feeding with breast-milk substitutes because breast milk is never enough, which is not accurate. 77. Breastfeeding helps infants and young children survive and thrive, as shown by scientific evidence. Studies have indicated that breastfed children perform better on intelligence tests, are less likely to be obese or overweight and are less prone to diabetes later in life. WHO recommends exclusive breastfeeding for six months as the optimal way of feeding infants. Thereafter, they should receive complementary foods, with continued breastfeeding at least up to two years of age. School feeding programmes 78. There are no school feeding programmes in Azerbaijan except at kindergartens, as children only attend primary and secondary schools for half of the day. Worldwide, school feeding programmes are one of the major policies to help economic accessibility to food for children. Such programmes, if organized well, help local farmers and food producers to provide local food directly to schools and implement sustainable and healthy diets. 79. One concern in kindergarten facilities is the quality of the food provided, which is not monitored by the Government. That responsibility falls to local governments, which need to control and assess the quality of the food provided to children. VI. Social protection 80. Social protection schemes are one of the major policy recommendations for Governments to fulfil the right to food obligation. According to the International Labour 29 30 31 32 See www.unicef.org/azerbaijan/what-we-do/health-and-nutrition. Ibid. See www.unicef.org/azerbaijan/what-we-do/health-and-nutrition. Azerbaijan Nutrition Survey, p. 44. 13