Todd Harper, Director of the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), CEO of Cancer Council Victoria, and Chair of NCD Alliance Grant Oversight Sub-Committee, shared a post on LinkedIn:
“A milestone for global health and cancer advocacy.
This week, the UN General Assembly adopted the 4th Political Declaration on Non-Communicable Diseases and Mental Health – an important step forward in tackling cancer and some of the most pressing health challenges of our time.
The declaration reflects overwhelming global support and sets clear, action-oriented targets on prevention, care, and investment. Governments are standing up for people living with cancer and chronic diseases more strongly than ever before.
We were pleased to see specific attention to cancer – including diagnostics, cervical cancer, liver cancer, childhood cancer, and breast cancer – supported by advocacy led from Australia and partners worldwide. For the first time, hepatitis testing, treatment, and vaccination were explicitly linked to liver cancer prevention – a major win for global advocacy.
At Cancer Council Victoria, we contributed through our case study in the World Hepatitis Alliance Whitepaper and webinar, embedding hepatitis elimination in the Victorian Cancer Plan, and collaborating with partners like The World Hepatitis Alliance (WHA) and Union for International Cancer Control (UICC).
Congratulations to Charissa Feng, Senior Manager, Liver Cancer Program, for your tireless advocacy in this space. We also acknowledge the McCabe Centre for Law and Cancer’s leadership in shaping the declaration alongside World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) and UICC, ensuring critical commitments were retained.
We welcome ambitions to reduce tobacco and nicotine use and the recognition of unhealthy food environments targeting children and young people. Now, implementation at the national level will be key. We look forward to working with partners in Australia and with UICC and its members globally to hold policymakers accountable and ensure these commitments translate into real change.
Congratulations to everyone who worked tirelessly to make it happen.”
More posts featuring Todd Harper.