In one of the meetings taking place in Colombia where the first World Forum to fight cervical cancer is being held, governments, donors, multilateral institutions and partners announced new political and financial commitments in order to expand cervical cancer vaccine coverage and also to strengthen screening and treatment programs.

The data reveal that US$180 million will come from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, USD$10 million from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and USD$400 million from the World Bank (WB).

The Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation Minister José Manuel Albares, on the other hand, said that Spain will contribute approximately USD$10 million over the next three years to fight cervical cancer.

In response to these proposals, the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, stated this first global forum is an important scenario for “governments and partners to invest in the global erradication strategy and address inequalities that deny women and girls access to the tools they need to save lives”.

Gavi Vaccine Alliance program manager Aurélia Nguyen noted that the vaccine against human papillomavirus (HPV), the leading cause of cervical cancer, is one of the highest impact vaccines on the planet.

“More girls urgently deserve the same protection, so in partnership with countries, Gavi has set an ambitious goal to aid vaccinate 86 million adolescent girls by 2025. With bold commitment and decisive action, we can look forward to a future in which cervical cancer has been eliminated forever,” she stressed.

The first Global Forum for the Elimination of Cervical Cancer opened its doors on Tuesday in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, with the purpose of calling on the entire international community to step up efforts to confront this deadly disease.

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