The American Cancer Society (ACS) and local cancer organizations signed a joint declaration yesterday morning, forging an international partnership in efforts at cancer prevention.
"This joint cancer declaration represents the spirit of collaboration and shared commitment to advancing the fight against this disease that is so critical to eliminating cancer as a major health problem worldwide," said John Seffrin, chief executive officer of ACS.
The signing of the declaration comes on the heels of Taiwan's unsuccessful bid for observer status at the World Health Organization (WHO) last week. Observers said the declaration offered Taiwanese an opportunity to participate in international health efforts despite the latest WHO rejection.
"ACS is a non-governmental agency and does not take a political stance, but it does believe in the time-honored principle that public health access, the means for attainment and preservation of health, is a basic human right," Seffrin said.
Seffrin also serves as the president of the WHO's International Union Against Cancer (UICC).
He said that he would work to ensure that Taiwan was well-represented at that organization's upcoming international conference to be held in Dublin, Ireland, in November.
The joint declaration between the ACS and local organizations -- the Formosa Cancer Foundation, the Hope Society for Cancer Treatment, the John Tung Foundation and the Taiwan Cancer Society -- was one of the first of its kind, according to ACS chairman Gary Streit.
opportunity
"[Taiwan] provides us with the opportunity to show that we can reduce the cancer rate. Taiwan has the medical knowledge, the know-how, and about 98 percent [of the population] has access to health care," Seffrin said.
While the declaration does not list detailed co-operative measures, Formosa Cancer Foundation vice chief executive officer Murphy Lin (林清儀) said that the ACS and local non-governmental organizations were already planning to hold a fundraising event called "Relay for Life" around September.
That event is geared towards celebrating the lives of people who have survived cancer and remembering those who have succumbed to the disease, she said.
In addition, the ACS has held a training and development program known as the "American Cancer Society University" in Taiwan recently, and will hold a leadership briefing today on the importance of the private, public and nonprofit sectors in fighting cancer.
No. 1 KILLER
"Cancer is already the No. 1 killer in Taiwan and the No. 2 killer in the US," the declaration reads.
Each year, 1.4 million Americans and 60,000 Taiwanese are diagnosed with the disease and more than 560,000 Americans and 35,000 Taiwanese lose their battle to it," it says.
"Next actions include working together through this joint declaration to implement the FCTC [Framework Convention for Tobacco Control]," Seffrin said, adding that every year 18,000 Taiwanese die prematurely because of regular tobacco use.
The WHO's framework is a public health treaty that addresses tobacco as a global health issue across diverse areas, including taxation and advertising.
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