QCS seeks to work closely with UICC

The Qatar Cancer Society (QCS) participated in the ‘World Cancer Leader’s Summit’ organised by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) recently in Mexico.
A QCS delegation led by Sheikh Dr Khalid bin Jabor al-Thani, chairman, QCS, took part in the summit held under the theme ‘Cities Driving Change.’
The summit was opened by Mexican President Enrique Pe?a Nieto, in the presence of heads of states, ministers of health, city and industry leaders, first ladies of different countries, executives from UICC membership organisations and many other influential players from cancer and health leadership communities.
The conference discussed how to partner collectively and support cities in translating the global commitments in cancer prevention and care into national action by 2025.
The summit is a major annual high-level policy meeting dedicated exclusively to furthering global cancer control. The event 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 co-ordinated, multilevel global response to address the spiralling cancer epidemic.
Sheikh Dr Khalid said,“Our participation in this summit came within the framework of our membership in UICC which is one of the largest international institutions in the fight against cancer. It stresses the importance of keeping up with the international experience to develop programmes and future plans through participation in all internal and external events.”
Participants at the event called for greater response to the burden of cancer at all levels, especially that four billion people are living in cities today and very few of them have access to high quality cancer treatment outside of high-income countries. Urban areas therefore present a critical opportunity to reach the majority of people with cancer treatment infrastructure.
At the summit, Dr Khalid met with princess Dina Mired, president, UICC, and both sides discussed opportunities for Qatar Cancer Society to work more closely with UICC and increasingly engage across UICC’s convening, capacity building, and advocacy pillars. The meeting also defined a work plan for engagement at the World Cancer Congress (WCC) in Kuala Lumpur as well as a primary role at the WCC in Oman in 2020 and explore how to leverage national and regional networks in the global fight against cancer.