UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé delivered keynote remarks at the opening of the World Cancer Congress in Paris, France, on 31 October.
“Women are the first victims of cancer. Plus women are less likely to have access to treatment as well as prevention services like testing. This despite women being the pillars of public health across the world. It is without a doubt that we have to put women at the heart of our strategies to fight cancer.” —François Hollande, President of France. Credit: Office of the French President.
UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé delivered keynote remarks at the opening of the World Cancer Congress in Paris, France, on 31 October.
Update
HIV, HPV and cervical cancer—leveraging synergies to save women’s lives
01 November 2016
01 November 201601 November 2016
UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé delivered keynote remarks at the opening of the World Can
UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé delivered keynote remarks at the opening of the World Cancer Congress in Paris, France, on 31 October. This year more than 3500 leaders, cancer experts and activists gathered together under the theme “Mobilize action—inspire change”.
Leveraging the experience and innovative activism of more than three decades of the AIDS response, Mr Sidibé called for greater mobilization and the breaking down of silos between programmes and services to deliver comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services for women and girls. He highlighted that the 2016 Political Declaration on Ending AIDS and the UNAIDS 2016–2021 Strategy reflect strong global commitments to scaling up integrated health services to address coinfections and co-morbidities, including the prevention, screening and treatment of sexually transmitted infections and cervical cancer.
In his speech he pointed out that women living with HIV are up to five times more likely to develop cervical cancer than other women. Mr Sidibé stressed that cervical cancer is highly preventable with the human papillomavirus vaccine (HPV) and generally curable if diagnosed and treated early. Despite that, every year 528 000 women are newly diagnosed with cervical cancer and more than 266 000 women die needlessly from the disease, 90% of whom live in low- and-middle-income countries.
Mr Sidibé said that currently only 1 in 10 girls in low- and middle-income countries have access to the HPV vaccine, compared with 9 in 10 girls in high-income countries. This, he said, starkly exposes the links between disease, gender inequality, poverty, lack of rights and poor access to essential health services.
Mr Sidibé congratulated the organizers, the Union for International Cancer Control, la Ligue contre le cancer and Alliance des Ligues Francophones Africaines et Méditerranéennes contre le cancer, for organizing the congress and actively engaging the HIV community. He also commended the President of France, François Hollande, for his commitment to global cancer control.
Video: French President François Hollande says we can learn a lot from the AIDS response when it comes to cancer.
Quotes
“Without leaving behind the care and support that patients and their families rightly deserve, please let us keep up with the scientific research. Resources dedicated to these means are paramount due to the ever increasing costs of new treatments—treatments that should be affordable and accessible, on equal terms, to every human being.”
Her Majesty Queen Letizia of SpainHonorary Presidency of the Spanish Association against Cancer and its Scientific Foundation
“Women are the first victims of cancer. Plus women are less likely to have access to treatment as well as prevention services like testing. This despite women being the pillars of public health across the world. It is without a doubt that we have to put women at the heart of our strategies to fight cancer.”
François HollandePresident of France
“The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine and screening and treatment for cervical cancer are not reaching all women and girls equally or equitably. Women are dying needlessly because of where they are born, because they are poor and because health systems are failing to deliver. The courageous and innovative activism of the AIDS movement has powerful lessons to offer the cancer community. Let us break down the silos, unite and ensure that services for HIV, HPV and cervical cancer are integrated and accessible.”
