Room for parents and babies opens at UN House in Sarajevo

The newly opened room for parents and babies in UN House Sarajevo was equipped by UNICEF and will be available to all UN staff and guests with babies and young children. It reflects the UN goal of providing for "baby friendly" and "breastfeeding friendly" workplaces, where every mother and baby will be able to practice breastfeeding "on demand" during working hours, a practice recommended as the most effective way to feed infants. 

The new room was opened by the UN Resident Coordinator in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ingrid Macdonald, thanking UNICEF and the team of people who worked on the project.

“Working parents deserve safe and flexible conditions to ensure the well-being of their children, in line with the UNICEF and World Health Organization breastfeeding strategy.  I am proud that the UN team has made a place like this a priority to help all breastfeeding mothers and parents with childcare responsibilities. We know that breastfeeding is important for children, so if mothers want, and are able to breastfeed, they need to have a space that makes it easier for them. Safe parent and baby spaces that promote breastfeeding is beneficial not only for staff, but for the entire community, ”said UN Resident Coordinator Macdonald.

UNICEF Operations Manager in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brigita Hadžić highlighted that it is very important that employees and their babies have such a space at their disposal, hoping that this room will also serve as an example to other institutions and companies in developing awareness of the importance of breastfeeding.

"The room was fitted for the needs of all UN agencies in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and it is a very important UNICEF project, i.e. the continuation of the UNICEF initiative in all UN areas in the world, to provide a place that will serve nursing mothers and parents with young children to have a beautiful space that will be safe, clean and where babies can stay, be changed and breastfed.  We have made such a space here in the UN in Bosnia and Herzegovina, I hope it will serve the planned purpose and I am very happy that we were able to do this ", says Brigita Hadžić.