Linking global and local cancer advocacy

During a “How to” session on linking global and local cancer advocacy, UICC’s Dr Julie Torode, outlined UICC’s global advocacy goals, and presented the tools and resources available to support cancer advocates in their work. She introduced UICC’s advocacy toolkit which has also inspired the development of a new regional advocacy tool for African advocates. Professor Ifeoma Okoye (‘Breast without spot’ Initiative) and Ranjit Knaur (Breast Cancer Welfare Association Malaysia) shared practical examples of how template letters, position statements, evidence sheets and other elements of the advocacy toolkits can be used to influence decision-making at the national, regional and global levels. Anne Lise Ryel (Norwegian Cancer Society) and Bob Chapman (ACS CAN) outlined how their local work was impacting globally. Dr Torode explains "It was fantastic to see so many UICC members respond to these advocates stories; I hope this inspires them to add their voice to ours on the global stage."

Dr Torode was also invited to speak to the American Cancer Society’s “Meet the Targets” advocacy network. This programme aims to support national advocacy efforts in key priority countries to hold decision makers accountable to the global NCD targets to be established in 2012. Dr Torode encouraged ACS advocates to join the NCD Alliance’s common interest group: www.ncdalliance.org, share their input on NCD targets and indicators, and align with key NCD messages to help create a united and powerful civil society voice. 

Positioning cancer on the global health and development agenda

Chaired by Judith Watt, NCD Alliance, the Congress session on “Placing cancer on the health and development agenda” challenged panelists Felicia Knaul and Dr Shamim Hayder Talukder to share strategies for addressing the absence of NCDs in the UN Millennium Development Goals. Alessandra Durstine (ACS), noted that we have already had some success, notably the inclusion of NCD language in the UN Rio+20 outcomes document, and in the ongoing global discussions around the new sustainable development goals (SDGs).

Alejandra Meglioli highlighted a new joint effort between IPPF and UICC which aims to link cancer and reproductive health services in Central America, and Dr Sally Cowal, Population Services International, stressed the importance of integrating cancer and HIV/AIDS advocacy efforts. She highlighted the work of the Women and NCDs taskforce as a good example.

Dr Torode remarked, "Sally, a well known AIDS advocate, told us that the World Cancer Congress was the first cancer meeting she had attended. This a critical first step and paves the way for closer collaboration between cancer and other health groups in the future.”

Advocacy in action in Montréal

Terry Slevin (Cancer Council Western Australia) led a Congress session on asbestos policies and action to reduce the cancer burden. Terry also presented UICC’s new position statement on asbestos; it attracted significant media interest, and several UICC members are planning to use the statement to support campaigns in their own countries. A copy of the statement is available in English and French here.

Planning for national and global impact

UICC considers population-based cancer registries (PBCR) and National Cancer Control Plans (NCCP) the two foundation stones of comprehensive cancer control. UICC used the occasion of the World Cancer Leaders’ Summit to launch its new NCCP toolkit, which aims to provide guidance to civil society organisations involved in the development of National Cancer Control Plans. 

As a complement to this toolkit, UICC has compiled a set of status tables showing the presence of PBCRs and NCCPs in every country. This important exercise illustrated that despite the significant progress in both cancer planning and registration globally, there remain inconsistencies in reporting at global level. The challenge for us as cancer advocates is how we can improve the level of knowledge of cancer registry and planning status in each country. We would like you to get involved, and help us to update this information on an ongoing basis. As a first step we will be launching a survey next month to assess the accuracy of our current status tables.

For more details please contact: advocacy@uicc.org.

Next Steps

We have just celebrated the first anniversary of the UN High-Level Meeting on NCDs. Several processes initiated by the UN Political Declaration adopted at the Meeting will conclude with targets and indicators embedded in a Global Monitoring Framework, options for multisectoral partnership and a new WHO Global Action Plan 2013-2020 on NCDs over the next few months. We therefore need to re-double our efforts to ensure strong cancer-outcomes in each of these.

For more information about key dates and meetings in your region over the coming months, and for ideas of how you can get involved in our 25by25 campaign, please visit our Advocacy campaign page or write to advocacy@uicc.org.

New Responses to Non-Communicable Diseases: Strengthening Systems, Changing Behaviour - October 29th 2012, Geneva 

How can we improve health outcomes for all? 

Economist Conferences are organising an invitation-only Summit on Non-Communicable Diseases taking place on October 29th, 2012 in Geneva. The Summit will gather a select group of senior stakeholders leading the NCD fight, from policymakers to healthcare providers, suppliers, NGOs and patient groups. 

Cary Adams will be a panelist at Summit along with: 

• Johanna Ralston, Chief Executive Officer, World Heart Federation 
• Oleg Chestnov, Assistant Director-General, World Health Organisation 
• Ann Keeling, Chief Executive Officer, International Diabetes Federation 
• Nils Billo, Executive Director, International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease 
• John Lechleiter, Chief Executive Officer, Eli Lilly and Company 

To request an invitation: 

Visit: www.economistconferences.com/ncds 

Email: ncds@economist.com 

Call: +44 (0)207 576 8550