Martine Deprez, Luxembourg's Minister of Health and Social Security;
Credit: © SIP / Claude Piscitelli
On Friday 12 June 2026, Luxembourg’s Ministry of Health and Social Security announced the launch of the national “First 1,000 Days” Initiative: Better Informing Families from the Very Beginning of Life.
The ministry said that recognising the period from conception to a child’s second birthday represents a crucial window of opportunity for their future health, development and well-being. The aim of the project is to establish the first 1,000 days as a key reference point for early childhood in Luxembourg, ensuring that every family has simple, reliable and accessible access to essential knowledge about early child development.
“The first 1,000 days represent a unique window, from conception through to the child’s early years. This period, which is still too often underestimated, can have a lifelong impact. Through this national initiative, we want to better inform and better support parents so that every child can grow up in the best possible conditions. Investing in the first 1,000 days means investing in health and well-being from the very beginning of life, while placing prevention at the heart of our work,” said Luxembourg’s Minister of Health and Social Security, Martine Deprez.
The “First 1,000 Days” project pursues four objectives:
• to raise long-term awareness of the importance of the first 1,000 days for a child’s health and development;
• to make scientific knowledge accessible and understandable for everyone;
• to provide a clear information pathway, structured by themes and life stages;
• to promote a coherent approach among parents, professionals and practitioners in the field.
The ministry highlighted that sharing knowledge about early child development also helps to reduce inequalities between families who know where to find reliable guidance and those who, due to a lack of access, time or resources, may be deprived of it. By making this information accessible to as many people as possible, the project aims to make scientific knowledge a genuine driver of social equity from the very beginning of life.
The “First 1,000 Days” initiative is based on close collaboration with stakeholders across Luxembourg. Healthcare professionals, early childhood experts, social institutions and voluntary-sector partners will be involved in the gradual development of the project to ensure consistent messaging and a coherent approach to supporting families.
The ministry detailed that the project will be developed in several phases. The first stage takes the form of an awareness-raising microsite, offering accessible and educational content on the issues surrounding the first 1,000 days. This microsite is intended to evolve progressively into a national reference portal, which is scheduled to be launched during 2027. This future platform will bring together in-depth content, practical resources and tools enabling families and professionals to better understand the factors that influence child development.
Moreover, the entire initiative has been designed to provide a simple, practical and accessible experience. Among the tools being developed will be an interactive timeline enabling parents to navigate through the different stages of pregnancy and the child’s first years of life, and to access easily the information that corresponds to their needs at any given time.
Through this initiative, Luxembourg’s Ministry of Health and Social Security said it aims to make the first 1,000 days not only a subject for awareness-raising, but also a practical framework for support, enabling every family to access reliable guidance to support child development from the very beginning of life.
