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Breast and cervical cancer screening, Nigeria, February 2021.
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WHO Global Breast Cancer Initiative: Informal partners' forum

21 March 2024 15:00 – 17:00 UTC Time
Geneva, Switzerland

Theme: Leveraging on partnerships in women’s health for the Global Breast Cancer Initiative

Background

Breast cancer is the most diagnosed cancer worldwide accounting for one in eight cancer diagnoses representing nearly a quarter of all cancer cases in females. Additionally, 16% or 1 in 6 cancer deaths in women is due to breast cancer with a higher mortality observed in low- and middle-income countries. In 2017, the World Health Assembly passed the resolution WHA70.12 Cancer prevention and control in the context of an integrated approach. Recognizing the rising burden of breast cancer, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched the Global Breast Cancer Initiative (GBCI) in 2021 and its implementation framework in 2023.

The GBCI aims to reduce global cancer deaths by 2.5% every year to avert 2.5 million deaths in the next 20 years. This can be achieved through thee three pillars of action:

  • Pillar 1. Health promotion for early detection (prevention and pre-diagnostic interval)
  • Pillar 2. Timely breast diagnostics (diagnostic interval)
  • Pillar 3. Comprehensive breast cancer management (treatment interval)

However, there is still little progress in achieving the goals of the GBCI, and many women continue to die from the disease threatening the achievement of sustainable development goals on reducing premature mortality from noncommunicable diseases by one third by 2030 and the achievement of universal health coverage. There is, therefore, an urgent need to combine efforts through partnerships and collaborations to strengthen the GBCI implementation if we are to achieve the goal of averting 2.5 million deaths in the next 20 years.

Objectives

  1. To describe the status of the WHO Global Breast Cancer Initiative and its future direction with prioritization of its implementation and country impact.
  2. To provide a forum for multisectoral stakeholders to recommend and propose to WHO strategic directions, interventions, and priorities for possible implementation within the framework of GBCI.
  3. To align with, and get feedback from, partners on areas of collaboration and partnerships to advance breast cancer control at the global levels as part of women’s health, rights and health equity agenda.

Format, date and time

A virtual meeting, 21 March 2024 15:00–17:00 (CET).