The initiative was discussed at a special session organised by the WHO Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer (WHO GICC), which focused on improving survival measurement and addressing global inequalities in cancer treatment outcomes.
The World Health Organization also launched a new global report titled “Measuring survival, driving change,” which provides, for the first time, country-level estimates of five-year survival rates for childhood and adolescent lymphoid leukaemia, while highlighting major disparities in healthcare access across countries.
The WHO GICC programme, launched in 2018, is currently active in 87 countries, with 50 countries integrating childhood cancer into national health strategies. The initiative has also been reflected in a recent United Nations General Assembly declaration that includes childhood cancer and mental health as global priorities.
Officials said the new target aims not only to improve survival rates but also to strengthen long-term care systems and reduce global health inequalities affecting children with cancer.
