78th WHA Constituency Statements
Distinguished Chair and Delegates,
Based on some epidemiological estimates, noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) affect over 130 million children and adolescents worldwide. This challenge is compounded by rare and life-threatening childhood NCDs with a large aggregate burden globally. Childhood cancers are a striking example, with over 400,000 new cases occurring each year. The majority of these patients live in low-and middle-income countries.
Childhood cancer interventions are recognized as a Best Buy in Annex 3 of the WHO Global NCD Action Plan. This designation is supported by the WHO Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer, which promotes effective diagnosis and multidisciplinary care across the patient pathway, including critical services such as imaging, anesthesiology, nursing, as well as palliative and psychosocial care.
As a NCD Best Buy, investment in childhood cancer care is not only cost-effective but also has the potential to strengthen health systems more broadly and create spillover benefits for the management of other childhood NCDs.
We therefore call for the explicit inclusion of childhood cancers in the outcome declaration of the upcoming 4th High-Level Meeting on NCDs, recognizing them as a strategic entry point and an indicator of progress towards NCD targets by 2030 and beyond.
More broadly, we urge recognition of the critical importance of addressing childhood NCDs as part of the global NCD agenda, and we endorse the Call to Lead on NCDs.
View full statement incl. supporters here:
https://siop-online.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/STATEMENT_13.1_SIOP_C...