Close the Care Gap!

World Cancer Day is an international day observed on February 4 to raise awareness of cancer and promote its prevention, detection and treatment. World Cancer Day is organized by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) to support the goals of the World Cancer Declaration written in 2008. The main goal of World Cancer Day is to significantly reduce the number of diseases and deaths caused by cancer. It is an opportunity to mobilize the international community to end the injustice of preventable suffering caused by cancer. The day is observed by the United Nations. World Cancer Day was established on February 4, 2000, at the World Cancer Summit against Cancer for the New Millennium in Paris. There are many themes on which this day is celebrated. Some interesting themes are:

Year	Theme
2009-2010	I love my healthy active childhood
2010-2011	Cancer can be prevented
2012	Together let's do something
2013	Cancer Myths - Get the Facts
2014	Debunk the Myths
2015	Not Beyond Us
2016-2018	We can. I can
2018-2021	I Am and I Will

The current theme for 2022-2024 is "Close the care gap" and it was decided to make the campaign 3 years. It will be observed such as,

2022: Realizing the problem

The first year of the ‘Close the Care Gap’ campaign is all about understanding and recognizing the inequities in cancer care around the globe

2023: Uniting our voices and taking action

Continuing the campaign with same theme and build a stronger alliance and innovative collaborations

2024: Together, we challenge those in power

With proper knowledge and united power demanding a commitment from the higher level leaders to eliminate the health inequities by addressing the root cause.

Together, we will make clear to our policymakers that we demand a commitment to prioritise cancer control, develop innovative strategies to address injustice, and invest our resources in a just and cancer-free world. We will call on leaders to address health inequities by tackling their root causes and ensuring that everyone has access to quality health services when, where, and how they need them.