Miriam Mutebi, Breast Surgical Oncologist and Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery at the Aga Khan University Hospital, shared a post on LinkedIn:
“What does it take to turn global ambition into national action? Day 2 at WCLS2025 offered some powerful answers.
It was like stepping into a global heartbeat. Leaders, advocates, researchers, and policymakers all aligned around a shared urgency: cancer can no longer be managed with fragmented solutions.
We need coordinated, country-led action. And we need it NOW.
The launch of the new World Cancer Declaration set a bold tone for day 2. Built around the 5 × 5 × 5 by 2035 model, it reframed our collective ambition into something far more powerful: a roadmap.
A roadmap that says:
- 25% reduction in cancer mortality
- 60% early-stage diagnosis
- 80% of facilities equipped with essential tools
- 50% of countries integrating cancer into UHC
- And a world where prevention is a baseline, not a privilege
What struck me most wasn’t the targets, but the principles underpinning them: equity, evidence, collaboration, sustainability, and accountability.
These are not technical directives, BUT moral commitments. Throughout the morning, the conversations dug into the heart of implementation.
Todd Harper reminded us that ambition must be matched by systems that carry people with dignity. Dr. Sonali Johnson highlighted how inequities widen when data does not reflect lived realities.
And the potential application of this by civil society, shared by the KENCO team was a quiet reminder that courage at the community level is often where change begins.
The interactive table dialogues were, perhaps, the most human-centred discussions of the summit so far, intimate, grounded, and beautifully honest. Leaders spoke candidly about what’s working, what isn’t, and where the real fissures lie.
What emerged were powerful examples of culturally grounded, context-relevant strategies improving outcomes in real time. Something Africa has always known: solutions stick when they are shaped by the people they serve.
And then came a moment of shared pride: the announcement that WCLS2027 will be hosted in Nairobi. A recognition not just of Africa’s commitment, but of Africa’s leadership in reimagining cancer control.
If Day 1 set the agenda, Day 2 gave us the blueprint:
- We don’t beat cancer with declarations alone.
- We beat cancer with systems that see people.
- With policies that become practice.
- With cultures of care that honour context.
- And with a united global community… each of us carrying a piece of the work.
Onward, together.”
Key Highlights From World Cancer Leaders’ Summit 2025
