Less than one week until World Cancer Day 2024!

World Cancer Day 2024 is less than one week away! UICC members, cancer organisations and individuals across the world are organising hundreds of activities aimed at raising awareness and calling for action to close the care gap, while UICC publishes its World Cancer Day 2024 Equity Report. Landmarks will shine in orange and blue, social media will be filled with #WorldCancerDay messages from around the world by people everywhere affected by cancer.

Indeed, this global initiative unites millions around the globe every year to improve awareness and knowledge of cancer risks and actions to better prevent, detect and treat the disease. It has become one of the most celebrated health awareness days around the world.

This year marks the third and final year of the ‘Close the care gap’ campaign centred on the issue of equity. This campaign engages individuals, organisations and governments to address the numerous disparities that exist in health and the barriers many people encounter in accessing essential cancer services, even when they are available, and receiving the care they need.

2024 is all about engaging world leaders and asking them to prioritise cancer, adopt strategies to address inequity, and invest resources to ensure that no-one dies from a preventable and treatable cancer.

What to expect on World Cancer Day 2024

• A global call to action directed at health ministers, drawing attention to specific actions they can take to reduce barriers to care common to many countries.
• The World Cancer Day 2024 Equity Report, detailing these recommended actions and providing local perspectives and experiences from past and present UICC Board Members on inequities in cancer care in their regions (Europe, Southeast Asia, Western Pacific, Eastern Mediterranean, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East).
• Opportunities for interviews with UICC representatives in the North America, Latin America, Europe, Australia, the Middle East, India and Africa, as well as UICC member organisations around the world.
• Hundreds of activities taking place globally to raise awareness and generate support for better and more equitable cancer care.
• Global landmarks illuminated with World Cancer Day colours, orange and blue.

Available for download

• Factsheets on World Cancer Day and the Close the Care Gap campaign, the global cancer context, antimicrobial resistance, and commercial determinants of health such as tobacco, alcohol and ultra-processed foods that contribute to nearly half of all cancer deaths.
• A range of branded materials, including a toolkit, customisable poster generator, how-to guides, infographics and factsheets, which individuals and organisations can personalise and use to raise awareness and promote their own activities in connection with World Cancer Day.
• Social media graphics and video.

Last year’s World Cancer Day campaign saw over 850 activities and events take place in more than 100 countries, 125 iconic landmarks were illuminated across the globe, and more than 60 governments worldwide marked World Cancer Day.

The hashtag #WorldCancerDay trended on X (Twitter) globally throughout the day. There were over 20,000 press mentions and more than 430,000 social media posts were shared, including from top government officials and celebrities. More than 95,000 campaign materials were downloaded from the website, including 11,500 Instagram filters used, and over 560 people registered for the World Cancer Day 5k Challenge.

 Visit the World Cancer Day website for more information