A new global initiative that includes founding partner University of Pittsburgh Medical Center was launched on January 17, 2017, at the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland. It signals a dramatic shift in the way international organizations help country and city leaders address the growing burden of cancer.
Called “C/Can 2025: City Cancer Challenge,” the effort aims to increase the number of people with access to quality cancer treatment and care in cities around the world with a population greater than 1 million. This first-of-its-kind, multisector initiative has been pioneered by the Union for International Cancer Control, in partnership with the World Economic Forum, the World Bank, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, and others.
In the first phase of the challenge, C/Can 2025 will target select cities from low- and middle-income countries, where the need is greatest. These “key learning cities” will provide insight on how the international and local communities and the public sector can best work together to implement the shared ambitions of C/Can 2025. The first three cities that have committed to the challenge are Asunción, Paraguay; Cali, Colombia; and Yangon, Myanmar.
A Call to Action
This is a milestone for the health and development communities in that it is the first time such an international coalition of multisectoral organizations has been established to work with cities on improving cancer treatment and care.— Cary Adams
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“This is a milestone for the health and development communities in that it is the first time such an international coalition of multisectoral organizations has been established to work with cities on improving cancer treatment and care,” said Cary Adams, Chief Executive Officer of the Union for International Cancer Control. “This is a call to action for all sectors to support city governments with populations above 1 million to respond to the rising epidemic of cancer and show the world that, together, we can tackle this disease and save lives.”
The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center will serve on the steering committee for C/Can 2025 and will be part of the teams that assess the gaps in cancer care in participating cities and in designing solutions to fill those needs.
C/Can 2025 anticipates upward of 80 cities being committed to the challenge by the end of 2019. By 2025, when the United Nations measures progress against global noncommunicable disease targets, the cancer community will be able to show how cities around the world are curing more cancer patients than ever before.
Founding partners of C/Can 2025 include the World Economic Forum, the World Bank, ASCO, the Icon Group, the National Cancer Institute, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, and a coalition of 22 pharmaceutical companies. ■
