World Cancer Day and the Movember Foundation join forces to support fight against cancer

25 January 2017 – Geneva, Switzerland - The Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) today welcomed the Movember Foundation as a Visionary Partner of World Cancer Day, a global movement that unites the world to reduce the global cancer burden under the one banner.

This partnership displays a working example of fulfilling the goals set out by World Cancer Day to ‘develop unprecedented global networks and alliances’ and a new cooperative approach to cancer advocacy and prevention. It also further demonstrates the Movember Foundation’s commitment to supporting the fight against cancer.

“We are very proud to announce the Movember Foundation as a Visionary Partner of World Cancer Day,” said Cary Adams, UICC’s Chief Executive Officer. “This new partnership represents an exciting opportunity to bring World Cancer Day to an even wider audience, to ensure the Day achieves maximum impact in the fight against cancer. With our core objective of getting as many people as possible to see, read and hear about World Cancer Day, we recognise the power of the Mo community to amplify the Day's theme of ‘We can. I can.’

This new alliance recognises the potential to use the collective power of UICC and Movember’s global communities to bring the world’s focus to the Day. Concretely, with World Cancer Day, on 4 February, falling on a weekend in 2017 and 2018, the partnership aims to harness the power of sport, with the support of Movember’s deeply embedded alignment with sport across the world.

"World Cancer Day and the Movember Foundation are both truly global movements, and it makes perfect sense for us to extend our fight against cancer to include this brilliant campaign,” said Owen Sharp, Movember’s Chief Executive Officer. “Movember is excited and honoured to be named a Visionary Partner of World Cancer Day, and we’re looking forward to engaging with our community of Mo Bros and Sistas on February 4th to raise critical global awareness”.

Together, UICC and the Movember Foundation hope to deliver a campaign that puts the fight against all forms of cancer, firmly in the sights of the general public and key policy makers. 

About World Cancer Day

World Cancer Day takes place every year on 4 February and is the single initiative under which the world can unite to raise the profile of cancer in a positive and inspiring way.

Coordinated by UICC, World Cancer Day is this year taking place under the tagline ‘We can. I can.’ and explores how everyone – as a collective or as individuals – can do their part to reduce the global burden of cancer. Just as cancer affects everyone in different ways, everyone has the power to take action to reduce the impact that cancer has. World Cancer Day is a chance to reflect on what you can do, make a pledge and take action.

For more information, please visit www.worldcancerday.org. 

About the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC)

UICC is the largest international cancer-fighting organisation, with over 1,000 member organisations across 160 countries representing the world's major cancer societies, ministries of health, research institutes, treatment centres and patient groups. The organisation is dedicated to taking the lead in convening, capacity building and advocacy initiatives that unite the cancer community to reduce the global cancer burden, promote greater equity, and integrate cancer control into the world health and development agenda. 

UICC and its multisectoral partners are committed to encouraging governments to look towards the implementation and scale-up of quality and sustainable programmes that address the global burden of cancer and other NCDs. UICC is also a founding member of the NCD Alliance, a global civil society network that now represents almost 2,000 organisations in 170 countries.

For more information, please visit: www.uicc.org

About the Movember Foundation

From the day Movember was conceived, it has been led and empowered by a global community of men and women that now number over 5 million. Thanks to the support of its Mo Bros and Mo Sistas, the Foundation has now raised over £443 million to fund more than 1,200 projects, saving and improving the lives of men all around the world. And much like World Cancer Day and the UICC, Movember aims to ensure that critical knowledge is shared across borders, research gaps are identified and promising areas explored.

*The Movember Foundation is the largest men’s health charity, and the only charity tackling men’s health on a global scale, year round. It is addressing some of the biggest health issues faced by men, including prostate and testicular cancer. For the past four years it has been named a Top 100 best NGO by The Global Journal. For more information visit www.movember.com.