GENEVA, June 19th, 2013 (WAM) -- Friends of Cancer Patients (FoCP), the UAE based charitable society, has participated in the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) Global Roundtable in Geneva, Switzerland. FoCP was invited to share its expertise on the creation of unified cancer registries across developing countries and their significance in fighting cancer.

The high-level event covered opportunities to accelerate capacity building and outputs of cancer registries in low and middle-income countries ? with a particular focus on Africa.

On behalf of the Friends of Cancer Patients, the global Roundtable was attended by Dr. Sawsan Al Madhi, Secretary-General for Friends of Cancer Patients Charitable Society.

Hosted by the UICC in collaboration with the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations (IFPMA), the Roundtable discussion focused on the effective implementation and expansion of the Global Initiative for Cancer Registry Development (GICR). Launched in 2011, the initiative aims to enable the best possible use of resources and skills from multiple sectors in the global fight against cancer.

Speaking about FoCP?s participation in the event, Dr. Al Madhi said, "One of the biggest challenges faced in the global fight against cancer is the lack of accurate and accessible cancer incidence and mortality data, a vital resource in enabling governments to develop effective policies for cancer control. The Friends of Cancer Patients is moving towards the establishment of the first unified cancer registry in the UAE, with the collaboration of the government and private sector, and is therefore honoured to take part in this highly significant Roundtable to share our expertise in the field."Dr. Al Madhi emphasised that gathering accurate information on cancer is not a luxury, but rather a cost-effective investment that allows governments to accurately assess where real need exists, proactively plan to meet emerging developments, engage in focused research, and allocate funding where it would be most effective. "Cancer is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide, with an estimated 12.7 million new cases and 7.6 million deaths annually. The developing world is bearing over half of this burden, but is the least equipped to cope with this situation, which is why is it so important that all stakeholders work together towards finding viable solutions to this problem," she added.

The Global Initiative for Cancer Registry Development (GICR) aims to accelerate the development of cancer registries in a sustainable manner that holds national authorities responsible for their citizens? health. The focus is on establishing partnerships to catalyse the creation of registries while prioritising the capacity building and training at national and regional level so that the skills and resources will be in place to ensure the continued growth and viability of each national registry.

The Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) is a membership organisation that exists to help the global health community accelerate the fight against cancer. Founded in 1933 and based in Geneva, UICC?s growing membership of over 760 organisations across 155 countries, features the world?s major cancer societies, ministries of health, research institutes and patient groups. Together with its members, key partners, the World Health Organization, World Economic Forum and others, UICC is tackling the growing cancer crisis on a global scale.

The UICC Global Roundtable Series (GRS) take place in various cities around the world focusing on top issues in cancer. These exclusive and multi-sectoral roundtables bring together civil society organisations, governments, United Nations agencies and the private sector. The aim is to unite key decision makers to address, debate, share ideas and raise awareness around a current pressing issue in the global cancer community.

Copyright Emirates News Agency (WAM) 2013.