World Cancer Day: 'I Am and I Will' is the Theme for 2020

Every year, the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) organizes the World Cancer Day on February 4 to raise awareness in the global community to put an end to the injustice of “preventable suffering” from cancer.

This year, “I am and I will” is the theme and it acknowledges that everyone has the capacity to act in the face of cancer.

In 2020, the celebration of World Cancer Day will see its 20th anniversary, when the discussion surrounding the disease is even more important.

On February 4, 2000, World Cancer Day was written into the Charter of Paris Against Cancer. The document was signed in between then French President Jacques Chirac and UNESCO General Director at that time, Koichiro Matsuura.

The UICC aims at uniting and supporting the cancer community in order to reduce the global cancer burden and promote greater equity. The organization works to ensure that cancer control continues to be priority in the world health and development agenda.

The membership organization also works towards strengthening cancer laws across the world. The UICC in 2012founded McCabe Centre for Law & Cancer, which is the first and only centre of its kind. The McCabe centre aims at advancing law to fight cancer.

The UICC also posted on its Twitter handle that some of the most important landmarks across the globe would “light up in orange and blue” to commemorate World Cancer Day.