The Union for International Cancer Control or UICC is a membership based, non-governmental organization that exists to help the global health community accelerate the fight against cancer. Founded in 1933 and based in Geneva, Switzerland, UICC has a membership of over 800 organisations across 155 countries, and features the world's major cancer societies, ministries of health, research institutes and patient groups. UICC partners with its members, key partners, the World Health Organization, World Economic Forum and others, to tackle cancer on a global scale. Their mission statement is: "To unite the cancer community to reduce the global cancer burden, to promote greater equity, and to integrate cancer control into the world health and development agenda."
Mission
Under the leadership of their Chief Executive Officer, Cary Adams, the Secretariat focuses on these three areas of priority: ;1. Convening the global cancer control community
World Cancer Congress – held every two years. The Congress serves as a platform for discourse and advocacy as well as a learning and sharing opportunity for our members and partners around the world.
World Cancer Leaders’ Summit is an annual high-level policy meeting dedicated exclusively to furthering global cancer control. It convenes key players from among UICC's membership and network, health ministers and leaders of international businesses.
World Cancer Day – UICC is working to promote 4 February as a World Cancer Day.
;2. Advocacy and putting cancer on the global health agenda Their advocacy goals are:
Encourage governments to fulfil their commitments from the UN High-level Meeting on NCDs, with a special focus on the importance of national cancer control plans and surveillance.
Support WHO to develop robust systems for measuring progress against targets, ensuring governments can be held accountable.
;3. Coordinating high-impact global programmes UICC's global programmes focus on five priority areas and target advocacy, education and training, as well as in-country activities in collaboration with partners and local UICC members.
GAPRI seeks to make essential pain medicines universally available. Providing direct support to more government ministries around the world, GAPRI aims to simplify the complicated international regulations around the distribution and use of morphine.
CCI aims to advocate for cervical cancer to become a priority at the highest level, increase access to prevention, screening and treatment services and develop crucial information on the cost of scaling up cervical cancer control activities.
ChiCa – This programme seeks to ensure decision-makers around the world understand the importance of early treatment of cancer in children. The programme is developing resources to help governments, particularly in low- and middle- income countries, improve the way they respond to this issue.
GETI facilitates the professional development of oncology healthcare workers and global leaders in cancer control. Through targeted fellowships, workshops and training the programme helps develop future leaders in cancer control and influence healthcare policy and practice across each of our priority programmes.
In 1933, cancer researchers recognized a need to share knowledge and expertise globally, and so founded UICC. Since then, UICC has grown into a respected forum for all professionals engaged in cancer prevention and control. Its objective is to advance scientific and medical knowledge in research diagnosis, therapy and prevention of cancer and to promote all aspects of campaigns to prevent cancer throughout the world. Over the years, UICC has fostered the development of cancer institutions, the sharing and exchange of knowledge, the transfer of skills and technologies, and the education of professionals engaged in cancer control.
World Cancer Congress
The UICC sponsors the biannual World Cancer Congress that brings together the world's leaders in the fight to control cancer. Leading clinicians, practitioners, government agencies and NGO's, patient-care providers and advocates, researchers and behavioural scientists and public health experts focus on transforming the latest knowledge into strategies that countries, communities, institutions and individuals can employ to reduce the cancer burden. The last World Cancer Congress, entitled "Strengthen. Inspire. Deliver.", took place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 2018. The congress was divided into five tracks:
Motivating prevention and healthy behaviours
Advances in screening and early detection
Improved and sustainable healthcare systems for better outcomes
Maximizing quality of life and death: empowering patients and care givers
Raising funds and attracting resources
The next congress will take place in Muscat, Oman from 19–22 October 2020.
Organizations
UICC brings together a wide range of organisations, including voluntary cancer leagues and societies, research and treatment centres, public health authorities, patient support networks, advocacy groups, and in some countries, ministries of health. UICC has consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council. It works closely with the World Health Organization, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, and the Programme of Action for Cancer Therapy initiated by the International Atomic Energy Agency. Cancer networks, partnerships, coalitions, and alliances may join UICC in the category of common interest groups, offering cancer control professionals, volunteers and advocates the chance to become part of a vibrant international community – accessing and sharing information, discussing and debating key cancer control issues with their peers, contributing to shared activities, and helping shape UICC's strategic directions as well as the programme of the UICC World Cancer Congress.
Knowledge Into Action
The World Health Assembly resolution on cancer prevention and control, adopted in May 2005, calls on all countries to intensify action against cancer by developing and reinforcing cancer control programmes. This resolution has added momentum to the WHO's longstanding work against cancer. WHO is working with partners like UICC to create a global plan of action against cancer. A series of six WHO modules provides practical advice for programme managers and policymakers on how to advocate, plan and implement effective cancer control programmes, particularly in low-and-middle-income countries. According to Dr Margaret Chan, WHO director general, "WHO cancer prevention, including control strategies and guidelines, helps governments in all countries of the world to improve their capacity to reduce national cancer burdens. Our partner organizations play a crucial role in accelerating the translation of WHO's guidance into national practice in order to save the lives of millions."
