The day designated to the IAEA's Programme of Action for Cancer Therapy (PACT) at this year's General Conference provided ample evidence of the young initiative's growing role in international efforts to fight cancer in the developing world.
“France salutes the IAEA's efforts to fight cancer,” said French Ambassador H.E. Mr. François-Xavier Deniau at a special ceremony formalizing the close collaboration between PACT and France's International Cooperation Net1. Noting that major health issues of our time, such as cancer, require concerted international cooperation, the Ambassador said: “The International Atomic Energy Agency, which acts within the framework of the United Nations, and France, within that of the European Union, share the conviction that the fight against this plague cannot be carried out alone.” Earlier, the French Delegation and PACT set up a liaison committee to formulate and oversee future strategies for the new partnership.
Speaking at the ceremony, Werner Burkart, Deputy Director General, Nuclear Applications, hailed the new partnership, saying: “Access to cancer care in Africa is minimal and the need to build capacity is great. What is needed is a holistic and integrated approach. In this respect, it is extremely encouraging to see so many stakeholders here, prepared to collaborate.”
The ceremony also showcased a new book About Cancer in Africa, by the Senegalese doctor Adama Ly. Introducing the author, Senegal's Ambassador, H.E. Mr. Cheikh Sylla, praised Dr. Ly's work, saying it demonstrated international collaboration in the fight against cancer. With contributions from 136 leading oncologists, epidemiologists, researchers and other health specialists from 32 different countries, the 750-page volume represents an exhaustive overview and working tool for all those confronting the challenge of cancer in Africa.
Dr. Ly spent three years compiling the book, which was published by the French National Cancer Institute and is available in both French and English. He said: “Cancer is a huge problem in Africa. My book, which includes the work of many cancer experts, is an attempt to tackle this problem.” According to Dr. Ly, by 2020 as many as one million new cancer cases each year will occur in sub-Saharan Africa unless action is taken now.
Thanking France for its generosity, Ambassador Sylla also paid tribute to its efforts to establish the International Cooperation Net for cancer. “This ceremony marks the beginning of even stronger cooperation between the IAEA, France and Senegal,” he said.
1 PACT's many partners include the French National Institute of Cancer; The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs; The French Ministry of Health; Medical Physicists without Borders; The World Alliance Against Cancer; and the Union for International Cancer Control, among others.
