World Cancer Leaders' Summit

The World Cancer Leaders’ Summit (WCLS) is the preeminent annual policy meeting dedicated to furthering global cancer control at the highest levels.

The World Cancer Leaders’ Summit takes place every two years and brings together key decision-makers from around the world and encourages timely debate on emerging issues related to cancer. It provides an important forum to secure a coordinated, multileveled global response to address the spiralling cancer epidemic.

The WCLS is traditionally organised in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and is hosted by a UICC member from the region where it is being held.

The event is by invitation only, and its attendance is mainly open to UICC members and partners among the global health and cancer leadership community.

Why the World Cancer Leaders' Summit is important

The World Cancer Leaders’ Summit offers global decision-makers a privileged platform to interact, share experience and expertise, and shape how governments, NGOs, civil society, academia and other stakeholders can work together and shape the task of eliminating cancer as a life-threatening disease for future generations.

The Summit complements other signature events organised by UICC, which are World Cancer Day and the World Cancer Congress. The Summit plays a pivotal role in this portfolio of global events by ensuring that the nine targets detailed in the World Cancer Declaration to be achieved by 2025 are appropriately recognised and addressed at the highest political levels.

Objectives

Key objectives of the World Cancer Leaders’ Summit include:

Raising awareness among leading decision-makers to ensure cancer is a global health priority.
Providing a forum to exchange information and innovative ideas on how to reverse the cancer epidemic and ensure a sustainable response.
Defining compelling messages to support the global call to action against cancer.
Creating a force which galvanises politicians and policymakers and increases cancer’s visibility on the international public health agenda.

Aerial view of the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre

Upcoming Summit: World Cancer Leaders' Summit 2025

Cancer Council Victoria will host the World Cancer Leaders’ Summit 2025 in Melbourne, Australia, 18-20 November.

“Cancer Council Victoria, our co-hosts and the Victorian and Australian Governments are delighted to welcome our international friends and collaborators to Melbourne in 2025. The World Cancer Leaders’ Summit will advance our collective global efforts to transform cancer.”
– Todd Harper, CEO, Cancer Council Victoria

Learn more

Previous Summit

World Cancer Leaders' Summit 2023

The last Summit took place on 16-17 October 2023 in Long Beach, CA, United States. The theme of the WCLS 2023 was "Cancer Control in a Changing World". The current international situation requires collective solutions for pressing global questions and challenges. As global cancer leaders, leading change is not just reacting to new realities, but problem-solving challenges and harnessing new opportunities.

Learn more