Hayley Jones, Director at McCabe Centre for Law and Cancer, Co-Chair at Australian WHO Collaborating Centre Network, shared a post on LinkedIn:
“Energised to have represented the McCabe Centre for Law and Cancer at the second UICC Cancer Planners Forum in Geneva this week!
Bringing together over 120 participants from 54 countries, the Forum created a valuable space for shared learning and practical exchange on the realities of cancer control planning across diverse contexts.
Despite the differences, the common priorities were clear: sustained political commitment, adequate financing, and strong accountability. Yet, it was striking to hear that only around 17% of national cancer control plans involve patients in their development or implementation, underscoring the need for more meaningful participation.
There were powerful examples of what is possible, including the UK’s consultation with more than 11,000 people in developing their new plan, and growing efforts led by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to develop ‘bankable’ investment cases to strengthen the financial case for cancer prevention and control.
I was really pleased to contribute a session on legislative frameworks for effective national cancer control planning, highlighting how legal and regulatory frameworks provide the authority, sustainability, and accountability needed to support long-term action.
It was also fantastic to hear from IARC – International Agency for Research on Cancer / World Health Organization on the important role of cancer registries.
The Forum closed with an interactive, forward-looking session led by Dr André Ilbawi of the WHO Cancer team on the potential role of AI in cancer planning, prompting timely discussion about how these tools can strengthen decision-making and implementation – yet present a range of risks.
The use of AI in health care and policy is an area of interest of mine which presents a range of legal and ethical challenges. No doubt we will hear a lot more about this at the next Forum!
Thank you to Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) and partners for convening another impactful event, and to the new colleagues and old friends from around the world for such open and insightful exchange. I am full of new ideas and motivation – what a great way to start the WHA 79 week!”
Other articles about UICC on OncoDaily.