EU Commissioner welcomes the engagement of 70 European Stakeholders to promote a #HealthyLifestyle4All
During the encounter, the three parties handed over the list of signatories of the call to action, which was launched at the HealthyLifestyle4All event, co-organized by ISCA, JOGG/YHC and S&P, and hosted by MEP Tomasz Frankowski in June at the European Parliament.
After receiving the list of the organisations, Commissioner Gabriel shared her enthusiasm: “I am very glad to see the momentum that has been built with our #HealthyLIfestyle4All initiative! This Call to Action is a significant contribution, and I am thrilled to see 70 organizations advocate for cross-sector action and commit to making healthier lifestyle choices possible for all Europeans. In this European Year of Youth 2022, I commend the focus on supporting our youth, for a concrete legacy of our joint efforts with the European sport community. Let us build on the momentum in this second year of the #HealthyLifestyle4All initiative – together!”
This a much-needed call to action, given the recent numbers. Currently, almost two-thirds of adults and 1 in 3 children in the WHO European Region are living with overweight or obesity (WHO European Regional Obesity Report 2022). But numbers keep rising steadily, as a result of physical inactivity, unhealthy food intake, mental distress, and poor quality of life. The persistence of such unhealthy lifestyles has led to a surge of non-communicable and chronic diseases across Europe, coming to represent a real global challenge for society and forcing us to look for systemic change.
Change which these three organizations have already been working towards. That is the case of JOGG, a Netherlands-based organization which works on the basis of an integrated community-based approach - the JOGG-approach - in more than 200 Dutch municipalities, and which connects roughly a hundred other partners from society, fundamental and applied research and the business community to make the living environment of children and youth healthier. At the same time that ISCA, a non-governmental and not-for-profit umbrella association, delivered over 70 EU-funded projects, continued with its advocacy efforts for the role of grassroots sport in society and launched international campaigns, such as the European School Sports Day. Schuttelaar & Partners continues to make strides towards a healthier and more sustainable society, collaborating with non-profits, industry, institutions, and policymakers across all levels, for example, its noteworthy campaign towards a smoke-free start of newborns across the Netherlands has seen great success.
At present, the three organizations are continuing in their efforts to advocate for a society in which healthy choices become the easier choices by reaching out to policymakers and setting up a working meeting in which different stakeholders are given the opportunity to share their main learnings and join efforts in the near future.
Image source: European Union, 2022