16th January 2004
Kofi Annan
Secretary General
United Nations
Dear Mr Annan,
An estimated 250,000 children in the world get cancer every year. Some 80% are either not diagnosed or do not have access to adequate treatment, leading to unnecessary deaths. Of those who do get treatment, the need for long-term rehabilitation and support, for example due to side effects, is not adequately recognised.
To coincide with the third International Childhood Cancer Day on 15th February 2004, the International Confederation of Childhood Cancer Parent Organisations (ICCCPO) representing the families of children with cancer throughout the world, make the following appeal to the UN.
We seek your support to help improve the rights of our children under the UN Charter on the Rights of the Child. Specifically, we refer to their rights to life, treatment when ill, and to rehabilitation.
We invite the UN to work with ICCCPO to:
1. Improve access to diagnosis and treatment especially in developing countries, and
2. Improve support in rehabilitation, recognising the long-term effects of cancer treatment.
ICCCPO works in good faith with medical bodies such as the International Society of Paediatric Oncology (SIOP), and other related bodies such as Cancer Research UK, for the benefit of these children.
SIOP joins us in this appeal to the UN to assign an official to work with our two organisations to agree steps that we can jointly take to improve the rights of our children. In this respect, ICCCPO undertakes to make reasonable proposals and to work in good faith with your representative.
We would be happy to visit you and discuss the next steps, and look forward to your response.
Yours sincerely,
Simon Lala,
Chair, ICCCPO