UICC Statement on the Political Declaration of the UN High-Level Meeting on thePrevention and Control of Non-communicable DiseasesSeptember 2011INTRODUCTIONThe Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) welcomes the Political Declaration (hereafter“Declaration”) adopted at the High-level Meeting (HLM) on the prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases on 20th September 2011. We congratulate UN Member States for theiracknowledgement that cancer and other non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are a challenge ofepidemic proportions that require a co-ordinated and sustainable response on a global scale.
We also thank the co-facilitators, H.E. Raymond Wolfe, Permanent Representative of Jamaicaand H.E. Sylvie Lucas, Permanent Representative of Luxembourg for the successful adoption ofan outcomes document, and the members of the Civil Society Task Force co-chaired by theUICC President Dr Eduardo Cazap for their dedication in representing the voice of civil society.
Since the 13th May 2010, when the United Nations voted unanimously for UN Resolution 64/265to hold a UN HLM on NCDs in September 2011, UICC has been working to achieve its primaryobjective to secure an outcomes document from the UN HLM which supports the long termdelivery of the 11 targets contained in the World Cancer Declaration. Additionally, as a foundingmember of the NCD Alliance, UICC has been at the forefront of the civil society campaign to putNCDs on the global political agenda.
The outcomes document achieved at this HLM - known as a political declaration - is only thesecond of its kind to address a health issue on a global scale, the first being the outcomesdocument from the 2001 UN General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS. UICC iscommitted to working with Governments and policy makers, the World Health Organization(WHO), other UN Agencies, private sector, academia and civil society and other stakeholders toimplement the commitments set out in this Declaration as well as to continue to advocate foradditional measures to ensure the burden of cancer is reduced in all countries and the targets ofthe World Cancer Declaration are met by 2020.

1	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  THE POLITICAL DECLARATION OF THE UN HIGH-LEVEL MEETING ON NCDsThe Political Declaration recognises the scale of the NCD crisis and the urgent need for action.
The acknowledgement of the direct impact of NCDs on social and economic development, andthe recognition that NCDs pose a major threat to the economies of many Member States providea strong impetus for governments to realise the commitments in this Declaration throughsustained involvement and sound leadership across the whole of government.
In line with the targets of the World Cancer Declaration, UICC strongly supports the call forstrengthening international cooperation in support of national, regional, and global plans for theprevention and control of NCDs, and welcomes commitments to:•Promote, establish or support and strengthen, by 2013, multisectoral national policiesand plans for the prevention and control of NCDs•Strengthen information systems for health planning and management and thedevelopment of population based national registries and surveys•Reduce individuals’ exposure to NCD risk factors through international agreements, legaland regulatory measures•Improve access to palliative care•Increase access to affordable, safe, effective and quality medicines and technology•

Build further capacity in the workforce skilled to prevent and manage NCDsAdditionally, the Declaration clearly acknowledges cancer as a unique disease in many respects,with specific commitments to prevention and early detection. UICC welcome commitments to:•Give greater priority to early detection, screening and diagnosis of NCDs includingcancer screening programmes (particularly breast and cervical cancer)•Increase access to Hepatitis B and HPV vaccines as part of national immunisationprogrammes to prevent infection-related cancersHowever, there remain some areas where commitments fall short of expectations. TheDeclaration lacks specific targets including no overall goal of reducing preventable deaths. Morework is now needed to convince governments around the world to commit to reduce theavoidable deaths from NCDs by 25% by 2025 - a target WHO believes to be achievable. Inaddition, although the Declaration acknowledges that the resources devoted to combating NCDsare not commensurate with the magnitude of the problem, there are no commitments to increasethe proportion of development assistance devoted to health outcomes. The responsibility is now2	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  with civil society and other stakeholders to continue to advocate for these outcomes in the leadup to the comprehensive review and assessment that will take place in 2014.
AFTER THE UN HIGH-LEVEL MEETING - NEXT STEPSThe Political Declaration of the UN High-Level Meeting on NCDs is an important rallying point forthe global cancer community. UICC will continue its global advocacy campaign and supportmember organisations to lobby governments to implement the agreed actions and to advocatefor further measures to reduce avoidable deaths from cancer. This is critical in the yearsimmediately following the HLM whilst the political momentum generated by the HLM is strong. Ofequal importance is that the Declaration is a major milestone in a long-term strategy to achievethe 11 World Cancer Declaration targets by 2020, and provides a robust platform to launch thenext stage of action in a number of key areas for cancer, including:1. Development of targets and indicators to measure the implementation of policies andapproaches to prevent and control cancerWHO has been tasked to present targets and recommendations for improved plans and policiesto strengthen NCD prevention and control to Member States and to establish a system ofmonitoring, evaluation and accountability in time for the 2013 World Health Assembly. It iscritical for UICC through its partners and member organisations to advocate for appropriateevidence-based indicators that can and will be measured and monitored appropriately and thatare consistent with national and regional priorities.
2. Raising the priority accorded to cancer in the global development agenda.
As a result of the Political Declaration, world leaders understand that cancer and other NCDs arenot currently addressed in the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and are significantlyhampering progress towards these goals. The potential for inclusion of cancer-specific outcomesinto the post-2015 MDG agenda and other future global development goals provides amechanism and framework for a coordinated approach to addressing and monitoring progresstowards the 11 World Cancer Declaration targets for 2020. UICC along with existing and newpartners will work towards this goal as well as to achieve increases in the level of aid to healthand NCDs.
3. Promoting a multisectoral response to cancerUICC strongly supports the call for strengthening and facilitation of multisectoral action for theprevention and control of NCDs, recognising that cancer requires action beyond the publichealth agenda to encompass a multisectoral response involving not just Ministries of Health, butalso the financial, agricultural, legal, trade, social and development sectors. The ability for UICC3	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  to play a niche role as a global representative for cancer advocates remains unique. In practice,this requires a commitment to be the ‘voice of cancer’ at major events, and to continue todevelop strong strategic partnerships across different health disciplines (research, clinicalservices, health promotion, cancer survivors, pharmaceutical industry, etc) and sectors outsideof health (e.g., World Bank, World Economic Forum, private sector, development agencies,World Trade Organization). UICC will capitalise on its position to facilitate multisectoral action, inachieving both the outcomes stated in the Declaration but also additional measures for meetingcancer-specific goals.
CONCLUSIONThe last two years have seen significant progress in moving cancer onto the global healthagenda. By having the UN HLM and agreement on a political declaration on NCDs, the processof addressing NCDs globally has been set in motion in the most powerful way. UICC isdedicated to begin working together with governments to ensure that they live up to theircommitments. UICC and its members will begin the next phase of their advocacy campaign atthe World Cancer Leaders’ Summit in Dublin in November where a response to the UN HLM willbe outlined in detail.
Every month another 600,000 people die of cancer, which with the right strategies, could havebeen prevented or treated. The UN HLM on NCDs is a start, not an end.
ABOUT UICCUICC is a membership organisation that exists to help the global health community acceleratethe fight against cancer.
Founded in 1933 and based in Geneva, UICC’s growing membership of over 460 organisationsacross 120 countries, features the world’s major cancer societies, ministries of health, researchinstitutes, treatment centres and patient groups. Together with its members, the World HealthOrganization, World Economic Forum and other key partners, UICC is tackling the growingcancer crisis on a global scale.
It has responsibility for the World Cancer Declaration, World Cancer Day, the World CancerCongress and the World Cancer Leaders’ Summit. Additionally, it is a founding member of theNCD Alliance, a global civil society network that now represents almost 2000 NCD organisationsin 170 countries.

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