“Close the Care Gap” is the theme for World Cancer Day 2022-2024.
Each year on 4 February, World Cancer Day empowers all of us across the world to show support, raise our collective voice, take personal action and press our governments to do more. World Cancer Day is the only day on the Global Health Calendar where we can all unite and rally under the one banner of cancer in a positive and inspiring manner.
The global cancer epidemic is huge and is set to rise. Currently, 8.2 million people die from cancer globally each year – almost 50% are premature deaths (aged 30 to 69 years).
Global disparities in access to prevention, treatment, and palliative care are growing exponentially. We all need to take urgent action to raise awareness about the disease and to develop practical strategies to address the cancer burden.
World Cancer Day is an initiative by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC). UICC is the leading international non-governmental organisation that unites the cancer community to reduce the global cancer burden, promote greater equity, and integrate cancer control into the world health and development agenda.
The World Cancer Day 2022-2024 theme is “Close the Care Gap“
This World Cancer Day, we recognise the power of knowledge.
We know that every single one of us has the ability to make a difference, large or small, and that together we can make real progress in reducing the global impact of cancer.
This 4 February, we call on you, whoever and wherever you are, to play your part in creating a cancer-free world.
This World Cancer Day, what will you learn about the gap in cancer care?
A 3-year Campaign for Impact
World Cancer Day is more than a day on the calendar. That’s why our campaign is built to inspire change and mobilise action long after the day itself.
A multi-year campaign means more exposure and engagement, more opportunities to build global awareness, and ultimately more impact.
2022: Realising the Problem
The first year of the ‘Close the Care Gap’ campaign is all about understanding and recognising the inequities in cancer care around the globe. It’s about having an open mind, challenging assumptions, and looking at the hard facts:
- Inequity in cancer care costs lives.
- People who seek cancer care hit barriers at every turn.
- Income, education, location, and discrimination based on ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, and lifestyle are just a few of the factors that can negatively affect care.
- The gap affects everyone, including you and your loved ones.
These barriers are not set in stone. They can be changed.
This is the year to question the status quo and help reduce stigma; to listen to the perspectives of the people living with cancer and their communities and let those lived experiences guide our thoughts and actions.
That’s how we can begin to imagine a better way of doing things and to build a fairer vision of the future – a future where people live healthier lives and have better access to health and cancer services, no matter where they are born, grow, age, work or live.
This World Cancer Day, what will you learn about the gaps in cancer care?
2023: Uniting our Voices and Taking Action
As our campaign continues, we will join with like-minded people because we know that we are stronger when we are united. We will celebrate real-world progress in its many forms and allow that momentum to fuel our fight for fairness. We’ll do more than spread the word – we’ll shout it from the rooftops. We’ll build stronger alliances and innovative new collaborations.
Our actions can take countless forms: motivating neighbours to provide transport to cancer treatment for a fellow resident or ensuring that healthy and affordable food options are offered at the local school.
We’ll mobilise our friends, family, coworkers, and communities because we know that together we can achieve almost anything.
2024: Together, We Challenge Those in Power
The last year of our campaign is all about bringing attention to a higher level – literally. We will raise our voices to engage our leaders. Now that we have the knowledge and a united community by our side, we are ready to shake the very foundations of injustice – to become lifelong advocates fully equipped to push for lasting change.
Together, we will make sure our leaders know that we demand a commitment to prioritising cancer, to creating innovative strategies designed to confront inequity, and to investing our resources to achieve a just and cancer-free world. We will call on leaders to eliminate health inequities by addressing their root causes, ensuring that everyone has access to quality health services when, where, and how they need them.
Source: worldcancerday.org
