Fighting an Old Battle in a New World, How IBFAN Monitors the Baby Food Market

This contribution to Development Dialogue expands on Annelies Allain’s article ‘IBFAN: On the Cutting Edge’, published in the 1989 edition of this journal, and adds 15 years of activity and experience. She gives us her reflections on the unique struggle by IBFAN to uphold international agreements. Her story is a tribute to not just the survival, but the flourishing of a people’s network over the past 25 years. Despite the failures in persuading governments to live up to their commitments and the difficulty of forcing giant corporations to abide by their promises, Annelies still believes in the Third System – the combined strength of ordinary citizens, organised in groups and networks, supporting a common cause.