Cervical Cancer Initiative
Cervical Cancer is the first cause of death from cancer for women in developing countries, which bear over 80% of the burden of this disease.
According to the latest WHO estimates, over 520,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer and 275,000 die from the disease every year.
Caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV), cervical cancer is ultimately a preventable disease. It is a moral imperative to address this scourge as a matter of urgency.
Launched in 2008, the Cervical Cancer Initiative of the UICC responds to the challenges of cervical cancer prevention and control through advocacy and capacity building activities both at the global and local levels, carried out together with members and partners. It contributes to delivering targets 4, 6, 9 of the World Cancer Declaration: ensure universal coverage of the HPV/HBV vaccine; improving early detection and awareness; improve professional training.
The Cervical Cancer Initiative:
- Advocates for affordable and appropriate comprehensive cervical cancer prevention programmes
- Raises awareness of the disease and the potential for its prevention
- Provides educational resources and training to health professionals and policy-makers
- Pilots comprehensive prevention projects with member organizations and partners
Partnerships and coalitions are fostered with international organizations, professional associations, networks and NGOs to address gaps and maximize the impact of activities at national and international levels, making the best use of available resources.
