Global Cancer Ambassadors and Journalists Convene in NYC

Conrad Sheck (centre), Counselor, Canada Permanent Mission to the UN, with Janice Hodgson (left) and Carol Loughrey (right), Canadian Global Cancer AmbassadorsFirst, we would like to share the results of a recent advocacy event. On June 18-20, the American Cancer Society and its partners were honored to host 80 global cancer ambassadors and 45 journalist fellows from 44 countries in New York City. The ambassadors received extensive training from ACS and our partners, including LIVESTRONG, the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, the National Cancer Institute, Centers for Disease Control, Dana Farber Institute and the UN Foundation.

On June 20, the cancer ambassadors held meetings with 43 UN Missions to advocate for strong commitments to preventing, controlling and treating cancer and other noncommunicable diseases (NCDs).

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C2CC at the UN discussions on Non-Communicable Diseases

Conrad Sheck (centre), Counselor, Canada Permanent Mission to the UN, with Janice Hodgson (left) and Carol Loughrey (right), Canadian Global Cancer AmbassadorsThe C2CC along with other NGOs and partners, want non-communicable diseases (NCDs) – including cancer, diabetes, heart disease - recognized as a major cause of poverty, a barrier to economic development and a global emergency. One of the ways we are doing this is by taking part in multiple high level discussions at the United Nations and within Canada through the Public Health Agency of Canada. The outcomes of these discussions will provide an input to the preparatory process for the UN High-level Meeting on NCDs (New York, 19-20 September 2011).

On June 20^th, Canada’s Global Cancer Ambassadors, travelled to New York City to meet with Canada’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations. They were received by Conrad Sheck, Counselor, to discuss the upcoming UN event.

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UPDATE: WE CAN, WE SHOULD, WE WILL CONQUER CANCER

You can watch a CBC interview with Carol Loughrey by clicking here

Do you have a powerful cancer story?

Are you involved in the fight against cancer or tobacco?

The United Nations is holding a High Level Meeting on Non-Communicable Diseases (cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory disease) this September 2011. The high level meeting will bring together heads of state and other high level political figures to discuss NCDs and create international policy guidelines to address NCD.  This is only the second time in the UN’s history that a High Level Meeting has been called to address health. 

The meeting has the potential to result in the creation of a document including concrete recommendations to combat NCDs and promote greater political attention and commitment to cancer and other NCDs, while garnering support from the international donor community. 

It is essential that cancer advocates throughout the world reach out to their UN representatives to ensure that the meeting and this resulting document fully address the magnitude of the cancer burden and the needs of those personally affected by cancer. This is a unique opportunity to put cancer on the world’s agenda – but we will need your help.

As part of the global advocacy effort, C2CC supports - We Can, We Should, We Will, Conquer Cancer .  Founding Board member, Carol Loughrey, breast cancer survivor and community activist from Fredericton, New Brunswick has been selected as a Global Cancer Ambassador. 

Carol will attend an international meeting in June in New York to meet with Canada’s representatives to the United Nations and encourage our country’s full participation in the September UN meeting on non-communicable diseases. 

As part of this process Carol is encouraging other Canadians  who have been touched by cancer to share their stories which will be presented to the UN mission, to show the impact of cancer on Canadian families and our support for a global response to cancer.

If you feel you are able and willing to share your story please do so at http://www.cancer.org/AboutUs/GlobalHealth/GlobalCancerPriority/app/share-your-story

Pat Kelly
CEO, Campaign to Control Cancer

Cancer Control on world leader’s agenda!

The September, 2011 United Nations Special General Assembly on Noncommunicable Diseases will raise the profile of cancer, heart disease and diabetes on the global stage, mobilize the international community to take action and secure the commitment of heads of state to address this neglected epidemic of epidemics. It was a similar meeting in 2001 that paved the way for an international response to the HIV/AIDS crisis.

Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) claim more than 35 million lives each year and account for about 60 percent of all deaths worldwide.  About 28 million, or 80 percent, of the people who die of these diseases live in low- and middle-income countries.

In addition to the human catastrophe, noncommunicable diseases pose a severe threat to national economies and the global economic system. The World Economic Forum recently highlighted noncommunicable diseases as one of the three most likely and severe risks to the global economy.

We are continuing to ask Prime Minister Harper to further strengthen Canada’s support and leadership for the global movement to advance cancer and other noncommunicable diseases and to encourage governments throughout the world to do the same.

You can join us right now.

We ask that you, our fellow global cancer and tobacco advocates, become the first to take part in this new opportunity to elevate cancer on the global agenda by sharing your personal story on global.cancer.org. By sharing stories from all over the world, we will amplify the voice of global cancer advocates to help transform the global health agenda to include resources and programs to fight cancer.

Note: please c.c. your correspondence to the address: advocacy@controlcancer.ca

Now, more than ever, the world’s leaders must take steps to balance the global response to both communicable and noncommunicable diseases.

Pat Kelly
CEO, Campaign to Control Cancer