MESSAGE FOR THE
GLOBAL CONSORTIUM OF WOMEN LEADERS
TO END CERVICAL CANCER
FROM THE PRESIDENT
OF THE INTER-AMERICAN COMMISSION OF WOMEN,
DR. THE HON. JACQUI QUINN-LEANDRO
ON JUNE 07th, 2008
As President of the eighty year old Inter-American Commission of Women (CIM), the first official, inter-governmental agency in the world to advance women’s rights and gender equality, I welcome this wonderful opportunity to be a part of this Global Summit of Women 2008. At the outset, I bring you warm greetings from the courageous women of the Americas whom I have the great honour in representing at this time. On their behalf, I extend heartfelt congratulations to the Global Summit of Women for this timely initiative to act preemptively on behalf on women worldwide in combating this dreaded women-specific disease. Therefore, I am pleased to be able to pledge the firm support of the Inter-American Commission of Women (CIM) for the launching of the Global Consortium of Women Leaders to End Cervical Cancer.
Addressing this scourge is a matter of priority to the CIM in terms of our ongoing work in women’s human rights and reproductive health. Consequently, we look forward to collaborating with this forum of women leaders to bring about solid results, since we believe that the time is indeed ripe for taking responsibility and informing on our region’s experiences with this devastating disease with a view to proposing urgent actions to alleviate cervical cancer’s impact on the women of the hemisphere. As Ministers of Government, women leaders and public officials entrusted with the protection of women’s rights and attaining gender equality and equity, we have a collective responsibility to address this health concern directly, effectively and swiftly.
At our Third Regular Executive Meeting of the CIM which was held on May 08-09, 2008, we agreed to continue giving maximized attention to addressing cervical cancer. Our commitment to this is part of a trajectory which we began undertaking in 2007 and resulted in our forming a strategic alliance with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), with whom we have enjoyed fruitful partnership on issues concerning gender and health. On International Women’s Day 2007, CIM in collaboration with PAHO hosted a sensitization event on the eradication of cervical cancer among women through the promotion of the HPV vaccine for girls, under the banner: “Making Every Girl Count.”
Our presence here today underscores the fact that we remain steadfast in our commitment to making our voices heard and to ensure that every girl counts in the fight against cervical cancer – irrespective of her race, class, ethnicity or ability. That is why we are proud to be associated with this global forum where we can demonstrate our support for the urgent call to end of cervical cancer in women.
Research has unequivocally determined that the leading cause of cancer deaths among women in the Caribbean and Central America is cervical cancer, which is also the second leading cause of death for women in South America. Our region has some of the highest rates of death from cervical cancer in the world with an estimated 37,600 cervical cancer deaths each year. These astounding statistics tell a grim story. For the real tragedy is that the majority of these deaths could have been prevented through a combination of routine screening to facilitate timely detection and appropriate diagnosis; treatment and follow up.
Ladies and Gentlemen, in addressing the eradication of this preventable female epidemic, one of the persistent challenges and pressing concerns which have been voiced by the women of the Americas is the high cost of HPV vaccination. As we know, vaccination, as a preventative tool sits at the fulcrum of our fight against this disease. However, unlike high income countries which have successfully reduced cervical cancer deaths, low and middle income countries – which comprise the vulnerable majority of our hemisphere – continue to struggle with a serious paucity of resources to counter the challenge of providing screening services and ensure adequate follow-up.
In recognizing that the success of this critical initiative is largely undergirded by the provision of available and affordable HPV vaccination to our women, we are also pragmatic enough to acknowledge the stark economic disparity and gross inequalities in our hemisphere. For ours is a hemisphere where metaphorically while some women may complain of having no shoes, for other women it is a dire case of having no feet!
It is this undeniable and sobering reality which compels us to implore this forum to advocate and agitate for increased and improved public/private partnerships for the distribution of cost-effective measures – especially in HPV vaccines – to eradicate this scourge and dramatically reduce female mortality and vulnerability. In light of this, I wish to recognize, with deep appreciation, the efforts of the pharmaceutical company QIAGEN, Inc which has striven to make the test affordable and easier to distribute in the furthest regions of our countries.
We, the women of Latin America and the Caribbean keenly look forward to working in close partnership with the Global Consortium of Women Leaders to finally and permanently eradicate Cervical Cancer from our midst. We promise to redouble our efforts to widely disseminate information to educate and sensitize the women and girls of the Americas on cervical cancer. CIM is determined to stem the hemorrhage of women’s lives, so that no woman’s life is abbreviated and truncated by a preventable disease.
I thank you.
