The First 1,000 Days Campaign: where does humanity begin?
“Protecting children from endocrine disruptors during their first 1,000 days”: this is the aim of theprevention campaign launched on 1 April 2026 by the Belgian Federal Public Service (FPS) for Public Health, in collaboration with the Regions and Communities. This campaign aims to raise awareness among parents of young children about the importance of protecting them from exposure to endocrine disruptors. During this 1,000-day period, which spans “from pregnancy to the child’s second birthday”, the body is in fact much more sensitive to chemicals that can influence physical and brain development. At this early age, exposure to certain substances, particularly endocrine disruptors, can increase the risk of, for example, cancer, metabolic or immune disorders.
The concept of the first 1,000 days is not new. In 2016, *The Lancet* publisheda studyshowing that the period from conception to the age of two is crucial for a child’s brain development, health and, more broadly, their future life. Subsequently, UNICEF officially launched the concept of the “first 1,000 days of life”, which proposes a holistic approach to maternal and child health. The aim is to promote environments conducive to the harmonious development of the foetus and the newborn. The starting point for this approach is the conviction, based on scientific studies, that “biology does not determine our destiny and (that) it is children’s experiences during their very first days and years that shape and define their future” (Anthony Lake, Executive Director of UNICEF, 2016). Since then, the governments of several countries, such as France and now Belgium, have embraced the concept to promote public policies commensurate with the challenge.
By adopting this concept of the first 1,000 days, Belgium recognises the importance of looking after a child’s health, even before birth, whilst still in the womb. However, whilst the pregnant woman is mentioned as a person at risk, at no point does the press release refer to the foetus as such. The press release also states that this campaign is “aimed at parents of young children” without mentioning the foetus. The question arises, however, as to when this crucial period of the first 1,000 days begins. It seems, based on the terminology, that it starts from conception. But this is not explicitly stated, and considerations regarding the time limits for abortion without medical grounds may cause the start of this period to vary. In France, the report by the expert commission on the “first 1,000 days”, published in 2020, set the start of this period at four months of pregnancy (“The child’s first 1,000 days”: the report).
Whilst this focus on the very first days of a child’s life, including life in utero, is welcome news, it still seems difficult to explicitly refer to the unborn child as a fully-fledged human being, deserving of care and protection.
Further reading: IEB report: Life before birth: a choice between fiction and reality
