A very good afternoon to all; it is a pleasure to join you to mark International Childhood Cancer Day and to launch the CureAll technical package.
This year, across all programmes, WHO is focusing on the importance of achieving health equity, which is the absence of avoidable or remediable differences among groups of people, whether those groups are defined socially, economically, demographically or geographically.
Childhood cancer is a global health issue, but it is also an equity issue.
Every year, more than 400 000 children globally are diagnosed with cancer, the vast majority of whom live in low- and middle-income countries.
An estimated 59 000 children in the South-East Asia Region are diagnosed with cancer annually, and almost 60% of them succumb to the disease – around four times the mortality rate of more developed regions.
The strongest predictor of the outcome for a child with cancer is the country in which he or she is born – an inequity that we cannot accept.
Since 2014 the Region has pursued Flagship Priorities on preventing and controlling noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and achieving universal health coverage, which have promoted Region-wide action to enhance services to prevent, screen and treat cancer.
And we have made real progress.
All countries in the Region continue to implement multisectoral NCD action plans, in addition to a 2015 Regional Committee resolution on cancer prevention and control and the Region’s 2016 Colombo Declaration on increasing access to quality NCD services at the primary level.
Since 2018, countries have been implementing the four pillars and three enablers of the Global Initiative on Childhood Cancer, which has accelerated Region-wide progress.
In 2020 the Region launched the South-East Asia Regional Childhood Cancer Network, which brings together key institutions and stakeholders to advance evidence-based, cost-effective interventions to enhance the quality and reach of childhood cancer services.
At present, 15 institutions from 10 Member States are participating in the Network, with more set to follow.
I am pleased to share that our regional Network will play a key role in supporting countries to leverage the products we are gathered to launch, including the CureAll technical framework, the Knowledge Action Portal and the Assessment Tool.
I reiterate WHO’s support to all countries in the Region in their efforts to address childhood cancer, with a focus on several priorities.
First, supporting countries to assess current capacities in childhood cancer, including the availability of medicines and technologies.
Second, supporting countries to set and cost priority cancer diagnosis and treatment programmes.
And third, supporting countries to integrate childhood cancer into national strategies, health benefits packages and social insurance schemes.
Together, by 2030 we must achieve a world in which at least 60% of children with cancer survive, and are thereby afforded the chance to live full, happy and healthy lives.
I welcome the launch of the CureAll package and look forward to our ongoing collaboration to address childhood cancer and the global inequity its burden represents.
I wish you an inspiring and engaging International Childhood Cancer Day.
Thank you.