Message from the President

The pandemic continued to cast a long shadow in 2021, creating another incredibly challenging year for cancer patients, along with the doctors, nurses and caregivers who supported them through their difficult journeys. The pandemic caused a great deal of uncertainty, yet it also provided opportunities that the cancer community was able to seize, and we should be very proud of these successes in the face of adversity.

While India, for example, made international headlines in April 2021 with the emergence of the Delta variant of COVID-19, oncology professionals had learned from the experience and data accrued in earlier waves and were able to maintain essential services and ensure that cancer care suffered less in that deadly wave.

UICC’s support for the cancer community remained unwaveringly strong and we continued to help our 1,201 members navigate their way through 2021 by providing them with a suite of online services, including our Virtual Dialogues and various capacity building opportunities.

On 4 February, UICC members and partners, alongside the entire cancer community, completed the World Cancer Day 2019-2021 campaign on a high note, making the final year of “I Am and I Will” a significant success with more than 700,000 social media posts and over 20,000 press mentions in 156 countries. Together, we showed the world that cancer as a global health issue demands urgent and collective action.

UICC's first-ever virtual World Cancer Leaders' Summit took place in October over two days filled with inspiring presentations and expert discussions on equity and innovation in cancer care in the wake of the pandemic. The Summit, organised by UICC and hosted by the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP), connected up to 600 global influencers and leaders in cancer control and public health from some 100 countries.

UICC also continued to engage with the World Health Organization (WHO) on key items for the cancer and noncommunicable disease (NCD) communities, such as the global strategy for the elimination of cervical cancer and the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. A new UICC Task Force on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) was active throughout the year and I am delighted to see the growing engagement in this area from UICC members and partners.

In 2021, we forged ahead with our fruitful collaborations with our global membership and strategic network of organisations—NCD Alliance (NCDA), City Cancer Challenge Foundation (C/Can), McCabe Centre for Law & Cancer, the International Cancer Control Partnership (ICCP), World Health Organization (WHO), the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)—as well as our partners in the private sector, health leaders and academics from around the world.

Thank you to our outstanding Board of Directors, the UICC management team and staff and all members and partners for their support and strong commitment to improve cancer control globally.

With the warmest and best wishes to all!

Professor Anil D’Cruz President, Union for International Cancer Control