WORLD CANCER DAY

Introduction:

World Cancer Day is marked on February 4 to raise awareness of cancer and to encourage its prevention, detection and treatment. It is led by the Union for International Cancer Control, a global consortium of more than 470 cancer-fighting organizations in over 120 countries. World Cancer Day targets the public through global communications, and encourages policy makers and UICC member organizations to make cancer a political priority.

How it started:                

World Cancer Day is an initiative of the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), a leading international non-governmental organization dedicated to the prevention and control of cancer worldwide. Founded in 1933 and based in Geneva, UICC’s growing membership of over 460 organizations across 120 countries, features the world’s major cancer societies, ministries of health, research institutes, treatment centers and patient groups. Additionally, the organization is a founding member of the NCD Alliance, a global civil society network that now represents almost 2000 organizations in 170 countries.

UICC also has responsibility for:

– The World Cancer Declaration – a tool that helped bring the growing cancer crisis to the attention of government leaders and health policymakers in order to significantly reduce the global cancer burden by 2020.

– World Cancer Congress – a biannual event at which the international cancer control community gather to meet, discuss, share, learn and connect in order to find solutions to reduce the impact of cancer on the communities around the world.

Involvement of WHO:

                WHO (World Health Organization) and the International Agency for Research on Cancer, the specialized cancer agency of WHO, collaborate with other United Nations organizations and partners in the areas of international cancer prevention and control, to increase political commitment for cancer prevention  and control.

What is World Cancer Day:

                WCD is the one singular initiative under which the entire world can unite together in the fight against the global cancer epidemic. WCD takes place every year on the 4^th of February.

It aims to help save millions of preventable deaths each year by raising awareness and education about cancer, and pressing to governments across the world to take action against the disease.  WCD is therefore the key opportunity for everyone affected by cancer to work together  to ensure that world leaders stich to the promises they made at the UN Summit in relation to reducing the impact of cancer. In particular too:

-          Develop targets and indicators to measure the implementation of policies and approaches to prevent and control cancer.

-          Raise the priority accorded to cancer in the global development agenda.

-          Promote a multispectral response to cancer.

Every month 600.000 people die of cancer and many of these deaths can be avoided with increased governmental support and funding for prevention, detection and treatment programs. Significantly, the number of cancer cases and related deaths worldwide is estimated to double ove the next 20-40 years. With the greatest increase in low and middle income countries, those least equipped to cope with both the social and the economic impact of the disease.

 

More info’s about the World Cancer Day  

Also here you can sign “The World Cancer Declaration”, a tool meant to bring the growing cancer crisis to the attention of government leaders and health policymakers in order to significantly reduce the global cancer burden by 2020.

 

Thank you for fighting cancer!