SIOPE BECOMES ACCREDITED TO TAKE PART IN WHO EUROPE SESSIONS, IMPLEMENT JOINT WORK PLAN
The end of 2023 was marked by another important news – the World Health Organization Regional Committee for Europe (WHO/Europe), at its 73rd session, granted SIOPE the privilege to participate in its future deliberations as accredited non-State actor (NSA).
SIOPE is honoured to acquire the WHO/Europe NSA status, which enables observer participation in the yearly meetings of the Regional Committee alongside voting representatives from 53 Member States. As an NSA, SIOPE can make official statements in this high-level policy forum to shine the light on issues of relevance to childhood cancer.
In addition, the NSA status opens avenues of engagement across the whole WHO/Europe interface with its wealth of collaborative initiatives promoting health for all, and offers the unique opportunity to elevate childhood cancer advocacy in this prominent setting in line with SIOPE’s mission.
SIOPE’s NSA status with WHO/Europe is underpinned by a mutually agreed work plan focusing on eradicating inequalities. The reference document for the collaboration is the WHO Europe Report on Childhood Cancer Inequalities first released in February 2022. It is a landmark paper that for the first time consolidates evidence on differential access to childhood cancer care and outcomes in the region and puts forward concrete recommendations on this basis.
There are 2 activity areas of NSA Work Plan and SIOPE will be guided by WHO Europe throughout: (1) Supporting dissemination and advocacy in the field of childhood cancer control with particular focus on reducing inequalities and (2) Supporting efforts to reduce childhood cancer inequalities by contributing to capacity building and providing access to education and training programmes for healthcare professionals.
SIOPE has already begun implementing the Work Plan with the instrumental support from WHO/Europe partners. In February 2024, it was an honour to receive a video message from WHO/Europe Director Dr. Hans Kluge for the SIOPE annual ‘International Childhood Cancer Day’ event at the European Parliament. The WHO Europe report on ‘Childhood Cancer Inequalities in the WHO European Region’ was also widely disseminated on this occasion.
SIOPE’s new NSA status with WHO/Europe is an independent effort as well as part of global childhood cancer advocacy driven by SIOP [International] – an accredited non-state actor (NSA) in official relations with the WHO and partner in the WHO Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer (GICC).
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