LIVESTRONG Summit gives Declaration support

In a resounding show of solidarity, the World Cancer Declaration and the work of the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) were featured at the LIVESTRONG Global Cancer Summit.

Over 100,000 signatures of the Declaration collected by the LIVESTRONG Global Cancer Campaign were officially presented to UICC President, Professor David Hill, during a special session organized to highlight significant worldwide support for the World Cancer Declaration, which sets 11 targets to significantly reduce the global cancer burden by 2020.

Speaking at the conference, Professor Hill, reiterated the importance of the World Cancer Declaration and its potential to significantly impact global health. “In a world in which so much effort is going into relieving poverty and trying to achieve sustainable and equitable global development, we need to always think about cancer and its effects in that broader context. Cancer is not only a health issue. It is a development issue and an equity issue. It is one of the major global challenges of our times, and requires a global response. The Declaration was surely an idea whose time had come. It formalises this global response to the cancer epidemic.”

Since the Declaration’s launch by UICC in 2008, the Lance Armstrong Foundation has been actively promoting and collecting signatures to support the Declaration and its global call to action.

The Lance Armstrong Foundation has campaigned to obtain more than 100,000 signatures in support of the World Cancer Declaration,” said Doug Ulman, President and CEO of the Lance Armstrong Foundation.

“From cancer survivors and activists to family members and physicians – the signatories represent our global commitment to galvanize the UICC’s truly grassroots movement. The World Cancer Declaration is an unprecedented plan of action that will forever shape the future policies in the battle against cancer.”
Professor Hill, also announced today a new UICC programme, the Global Access to Pain Relief Initiative (GAPRI), to promote the case for universal access to adequate pain relief for cancer patients around the world. Palliative Care is one of the targets of the World Cancer Declaration.

Globally, cancer deaths are expected to double by 2030 with many people in middle to low income countries dying in terrible pain. In 2020 projections show that there will be more than 16 million new cases of cancer diagnosed. The World Health Organization estimates that each year 5.5 million terminal cancer patients living in countries with low or no access to controlled medicines suffer without adequate treatment.
The GAPRI taskforce will look at ways to make cancer pain drugs more accessible to people in countries where today they are dying in terrible pain. It would look at drug costs, restrictive regulations, myths associated with cancer pain, bureaucratic policies and other issues associated with global access. The taskforce will produce a 10 year pain plan and will include engagement at the international level, with relevant UN agencies in this field of cancer management.
While there is a significant amount of work taking place around the issue of pain relief, all of the key players involved in this area, such as governments, intergovernmental organizations, NGOs and academic institutions, have welcomed UICC’s entry into the arena, expressing the view that there is much work to be done to make progress and that UICC can play a unique role in this work by bringing its reputation, networks and technical expertise to the field.

GAPRI

The UICC Global Access to Pain Relief Initiative (GAPRI) is led by UICC President, Professor David Hill. GAPRI taskforce members are Dr Jim Cleary, US, palliative care physician; Professor Kathy Foley, an oncologist from New York; Dr Julie Torode, Head of Education and Capacity Department at UICC, Geneva; Mr Jonathon Liberman, Senior Advisor International Legal Policy, Australia; Mr Nathan Grey, National Vice President for International Affairs at the American Cancer Society; and Liliana De Lima, Executive Director for the International Association for Hospice and Palliative Care.

The LIVESTRONG Global Cancer Summit

The LIVESTRONG Global Cancer Summit, which took place August 24-26, 2009 in Dublin, Ireland, is the landmark event of the LIVESTRONG Global Cancer Campaign, an initiative to urgently address the global cancer burden. This unprecedented gathering of 500 strong includes world leaders, corporations, non-governmental organizations and 300 advocates from more than 65 countries. 
www.livestrong.org.