The European Commission and UNICEF announce a new partnership to improve health outcomes for children
16 January 2025
Children today face significant health challenges, from mental health issues to preventable illnesses and unhealthy lifestyle choices.
To tackle these challenges, the European Commission and UNICEF have launched a new partnership aimed at enhancing mental and physical health outcomes for children in EU Member States, Iceland, and Norway. This collaboration will support strengthening health policies for children and adolescents through the development of a Toolkit for Child and Adolescent Health and Mental Wellbeing Promotion, which will serve as a comprehensive resource for policymakers. Sandra Gallina, Director-General for Health and Food Safety at the European Commission, emphasised the importance of prioritising investments in the health and well-being of children and adolescents within a strong European Health Union.
The partnership will concentrate on five key areas of children’s health: promoting healthy lifestyles, early childhood development and intervention, immunisation, protecting children from the aggressive marketing of harmful products such as tobacco, nicotine, alcohol, and unhealthy food, and fostering good mental health. The European Commission and UNICEF will work to identify barriers to positive health outcomes for children, map gaps in existing policies, interventions, and programmes, and highlight best practices from various countries.
SAFE is committed to educating children about healthier eating habits through school-based training programmes as part of the Food4Inclusion and Preventia projects. This initiative is a crucial first step in empowering children to make informed decisions and adopt lifestyles that prevent obesity and related diseases.
The Lancet releases papers adding weight to the evidence that UPFs harm human health
A study by The Lancet reveals that ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are linked to harm in…
Ultra-processed foods linked to prediabetes in young adults
A US study has linked ultra-processed food intake with higher risk of prediabetes and disrupted…
130+ organisations urge von der Leyen to strengthen enforcement of EU pesticide law
SAFE and more than 130 other European civil society, scientific, water, and farming organisations warn…
Very high levels of short-chain PFAS (TFA) found in 12 out of 16 mineral water samples
A study by Greenpeace has found very high levels of TFA, a type of “forever…
Diet and Sugary Drinks Linked to Higher Liver Disease Risk
A recent study presented at UEG Week 2025, the annual congress of United European Gastroenterology,…
‘Planetary health diet’ could save 40,000 deaths a day, landmark report finds
Adopting a plant-rich “planetary health diet”, including moderate meat consumption, could prevent 40,000 early deaths…
