"We unite and support the cancer community to reduce the global cancer burden, to promote greater equity, and to ensure that cancer control continues to be a priority in the world health and development agenda."

The Union for International Cancer Control's (UICC) rapidly increasing membership base of over 1200 organisations in 172 countries, represents the world’s major cancer societies, ministries of health and patient groups and includes influential policy makers, researchers and experts in cancer prevention and control. UICC also boasts more than 50 strategic partners.

In the last decade, we have reached millions of people with World Cancer Day, welcomed more than 15,000 delegates at our World Cancer Congresses, and launched four new organisations: the International Cancer Control Partnership, the McCabe Centre for Law & Cancer, City Cancer Challenge Foundation and the NCD Alliance.

UICC's membership (visit the Map of members for more information)

The organisation is dedicated to taking the lead in convening, capacity building and advocacy initiatives that unite and support the cancer community to reduce the global cancer burden, promote greater equity, and to ensure cancer control continues to be a priority in the world health and development agenda. 

UICC uses key convening opportunities like the World Cancer Leaders' Summit, World Cancer Congress and World Cancer Day for continued focus on:

• Developing specific time-bound targets and indicators to measure the national implementation of policies and approaches to prevent and control cancer
• Raising the priority accorded to cancer in the global health and development agenda
• Promoting a global response to cancer

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.

Governance

UICC is governed by its member organisations, which meet in a general assembly, held in conjunction with the World Cancer Congress, every two years. Between assemblies, a board of 17 directors, elected by the General Assembly, act as the executive body of UICC.

Working in partnership

UICC works closely with key international UN agencies including: the World Health Organization (WHO), with whom we are in official relations, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and has consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). In addition to this, UICC offers corporate partners a unique opportunity to demonstrate social responsibility on a global scale.

Science and evidence at UICC's core

• TNM Classification of Malignant Tumours, the global standard for cancer staging; regularly reviewed and updated by the UICC TNM Project, alongside its companion publications, TNM Supplement and TNM Atlas.

• The International Journal of Cancer, UICC’s official journal since 1966; a world renowned, leading publication in experimental, clinical and epidemiological research.

• The Manual of Clinical Oncology; a concise reference covering state-of-the-art multidisciplinary clinical oncology.

• Partnership with the American Society of Clinical Oncology on the open-access, online-only JCO Global Oncology publication.

World Cancer Declaration

Global cancer data states that the global cancer burden rises to 19.3 million new cases and 10.0 million cancer deaths in 2020. The number of deaths will increase to 16.3 million per year by 2040 (Source: Globocan 2020 and Cancer Tomorrow, IARC). UICC is committed to reducing the global cancer burden by delivering the targets of the World Cancer Declaration.

This call to action sets out 9 goals to be achieved by 2025 including:

• Universal vaccination programmes for hepatitis B (HBV) and human papillomavirus (HPV) to prevent liver and cervical cancer
• Dramatic reductions in the emigration of health workers with specialist cancer training
• Universal availability of effective pain medication
• Dispelling myths and misconceptions about cancer

A visionary campaign

UICC is committed to delivering the targets of the World Cancer Declaration through strategic partnerships involving members and other institutions interested in fighting cancer. Together we aim to save millions of lives by focusing on what needs to be done by taking the lead in:

• Convening the world’s leaders for innovative, wide-reaching, cancer control events and initiatives
• Building capacity to meet regional needs
• Leveraging past advocacy successes to drive change in the future

Our Roadmap

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