The McCabe Centre for Law & Cancer will showcase its latest legal advancements on global cancer prevention and control next month, at the World Cancer Congress in Geneva, Switzerland. The upcoming presentations highlight the McCabe Centre's commitment to advancing legal frameworks that support global cancer control efforts.
We are excited to bring our local insights to the global stage, as well as benefitting from the latest global knowledge to incorporate back into our local efforts.
The event, organised by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), presents the latest advances on cancer prevention and control, and the McCabe Centre will be there to highlight the critical intersection of law and cancer prevention and control.
Our team of legal specialists will speak on the following issues: using the law for cancer prevention and cancer control; advancing the rights of carers; why cancer prevention and control is a human rights law issue; future directions in tobacco law and policy; using the law to drive improvements in clean air; and reducing the cancer burden faster through multisectoral collaborations.
Founded in 2012 by the Congress organisers – the UICC, as well as Cancer Council Victoria and Cancer Council Australia, the McCabe Centre stands as the only institution in the world dedicated to law and cancer. Our expertise has been recognised through being appointed the first official Knowledge Hub for the WHO Framework Convention for Tobacco Control (FCTC) and as World Health Organization Collaborating Centre on Law and Noncommunicable Disease (NCDs).
We continue to work closely with the UICC to empower member organisations to leverage law in overcoming barriers to cancer prevention, treatment, and care.
In recent years, the McCabe Centre has trained over 400 government lawyers from more than 90 countries, equipping them with the expertise to navigate and influence cancer-related legislation, for the benefit of their communities. In Australia, the Centre is a unit of Cancer Council Victoria and works closely with Cancer Council Australia - to identify opportunities and rectify legal gaps to prevent cancer, and support individuals affected by cancer.
Using the law for cancer prevention and cancer control
The law is one of the most effective and efficient ways to prevent and control cancer, and to ensure everyone has access to the care and support they need. Advancing laws for cancer prevention and control leads to systemic change to the frameworks that protect people, which contributes to sustainable and lasting change for communities. This is what the McCabe Centre is committed to, and where it facilitates global exchange of knowledge.
Our Speakers & Topics
Hayley Jones (the McCabe Centre’s Director) and Tarishi Desai (our Manager – Treatment & Supportive Care) will be speaking on advancing the rights of cancer carers, drawing on our recent work with Cancer Council which, amongst other things, influenced an Australian Parliamentary report to improve recognition for unpaid cancer carers.
“Carers play an invaluable role but are too often unseen. We are seeking to make the unseen seen. We will be sharing practical insights and lessons from law reform, economic research, and policy implementation for carers rights around the world,”
- Hayley Jones, Director McCabe Centre.
We are thrilled to be joined on this session by McCabe Centre alumna from Kenya, Jane Kabaki, who will also be speaking as part of this session, drawing on her lived experience and her expertise as a lawyer.
Rachel Kitonyo-Devotsu, our Regional Manager for Africa based in Kenya, will be chairing a session on:
“Using the law for cancer prevention and cancer control”, with Tarishi Desai presenting on why cancer prevention and control is a human rights law issue, alongside UICC’s Board Member and Founder of Cancer Warriors, Mexico, Kenji López-Cuevas and other global voices.
Human rights law and cancer – what’s the link?
“Human rights law is imperative to prevent and control cancer and support those affected by it”
- Tarishi Desai Manager, Treatment & Supportive Care.
Human rights apply to all people everywhere and reflect the values of freedom, equality, dignity and respect. All aspects of cancer prevention and control engage human rights set out in international law – including rights to life, health, non-discrimination, social security, work rights, gender equality, access to adequate food and water, and the right to a healthy environment. Advancing human rights is needed to reduce the global burden of cancer.
Future directions in tobacco law and policy
Suzanne Zhou, will be chairing a panel of experts talking about “Future directions in tobacco law and policy”, covering new and old challenges in tobacco control: advancing innovative measures, while ensuring implementation of established ones.
“We’ve known for more than 70 years that tobacco causes cancer, and yet it still kills 8 million people each year. We need to support and push countries to implement proven measures, while continuing to innovate in how we respond to this global epidemic” - Suzanne Zhou, Manager, Prevention.
Cancer and air pollution
Suzanne is also speaking in a session focused on air pollution, another area of increasing importance for the prevention of cancer, in a session called “Turning policy into practice: using the law to drive improvements in clean air”.
More than 99% of the world breathes unsafe air. Air pollution is a risk factor for cancer and other NCDs, but it can be challenging for the cancer community to act on because so many of the policy tools lie outside the health sector. Learning to use the law can help bridge this gap.
Multisectoral collaborations
Ma-Anne Rosales, our Regional Manager for Asia based in the Philippines, will address reducing the cancer burden faster through multisectoral collaborations. Collaborative efforts bring together diverse expertise from various fields, including medicine, public health, law, and policy, and multidisciplinary approaches lead to more comprehensive strategies for cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and care. This panel was organised by Isabelle Soejeratnam from the International Agency for Research in Cancer, who was our recent collaborator as part of the Lancet Commission on Women, Power and Cancer – see the report here. This session will also feature Craig Sinclair, Head of Cancer Council Victoria’s Prevention division.
Joint Tobacco Control Law Workshop with Norwegian Cancer Society and WHO Europe
Following the World Cancer Congress, the McCabe Centre is co-hosting a 1.5 day workshop on tobacco control. Over 40 attendees from Europe and beyond, will gather to deep dive into the latest tobacco control legal developments. Given many people are already attending the Congress, it is an invaluable opportunity to convene leading legal minds to galvanise further action on tobacco control.
Connect with us
If you’re attending the upcoming World Cancer Congress – please reach out and connect with us. We’d love to catch up with you in Geneva.
Contact us: info@mccabecentre.org
Our McCabe Centre attendees are:
Hayley Jones, Tarishi Desai, Suzanne Zhou, Ma-Anne Rosales, Rachel Kitonyo-Devotsu,
Diane Shelton.
Our Cancer Council attendees:
Cancer Council Victoria – Todd Harper, Nina Afshar, Craig Sinclair, Charissa Feng.
Cancer Council Australia – Mark Nevan, Megan Varlow.
NSW – Karen Canfell, WA – Melissa Ledger, Qld – Andrew Donne.