SI UN Representatives Roswitha Benesch and Dora Vrdlovec recently met with the International Atomic Energy Agency Programme of Action for Cancer Therapy in Vienna to discuss possible areas of joint working. They were joined by Susan Morgan, PACT
programme Coordinator, and Jean-Pierre Cayol, PACT
Programme Officer.
The IAEA is dedicated to
the peaceful uses of nuclear technology, which is often the only option for the
diagnosis and treatment of cancer and of non-communicable diseases, especially
cancer and cardiovascular diseases. In spite of alarming
trends in non-communicable diseases (NCDs), they are not mentioned in the Millennium
Development Goals. They are therefore often overlooked and become a lower
health priority in the eyes of international policy makers. Click here to learn more about non-communicable diseases through SI’sOctober Monthly Focus on NCDs.
In 2004 the IAEA established its Programme of Action for
Cancer Therapy (PACT)
to help fight cancer in its developing Member States. PACT is an
umbrella programme for combating cancer. It works in partnership to archive the
best possible results in furthering the global campaign to control cancer
through the promotion of preventative measures, early detection and swift and
complete treatment. Radiotherapy is an essential component in the treatment and management of
cancer, including palliative care.
PACT reviews are
performed in close cooperation with the requesting government. The objective of
the PACT review is to help the country, inter-agency partner
and donors to develop assistance that responds to the needs identified. Countries now on the
programme include Afghanistan, Albania, Dominican Republic, Georgia,
Ghana, Madagascar, Malawi, Mongolia, Montenegro, Nicaragua, Peru, Moldova, Sri
Lanka, Syria, Uganda, Tanzania, Vietnam and Yemen.
In
2009 IAEA and the World Health Organisation established
a Joint Programme on Cancer Control to coordinate activities, especially
because of the increasing severity of this group of diseases in developing counties (for an example of how Soroptimists are
working to promote cancer awareness in Cambodia, click here). VUCCnet
(Virtual University for Cancer Control),
is an African Pilot Project and was launched in 2010 in Ghana. It is funded by the Roche African Research
Foundation, the US Government and IAEA. The 4 initial Member States
participating (Ghana,
Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia) are English speaking, a French speaking segment will
be added later.
The
remainder of the meeting considered the possibilities open to NGOs who wish to
support IAEA PACT. IAEA
is a facilitator, working through governments and dependent on donors. It does not currently
have independent contact with NGOs and civil society organisations. However,
this is not to say that learning cannot take place, and experiences and best practice shared. SI’s UN Representatives in Vienna
and IAEA staff agreed to keep in contact and meet again in the future.
Report by Roswitha Benesch and Dora Vrdlovec
SI UN Representatives – Vienna
November 2011