In March 2024, Indigenous leaders from around the world will come together in Naarm (Melbourne) for the third World Indigenous Cancer Conference (WICC).
Running 18-20 March, WICC 2024 is set to be a landmark meeting for those working towards reducing cancer disparities for Indigenous peoples around the world.
Sponsored by the Victorian Government and hosted by the Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre Alliance (VCCC Alliance) in partnership with the World Health Organisation’s International Agency for Research on Cancer, WICC 2024 will identify international research priorities and foster collaboration between delegates that will contribute to research for years to come.
“I am exceptionally proud that the VCCC Alliance has the opportunity to host the next World Indigenous Cancer Conference,” says Professor Grant McArthur AO, VCCC Alliance Executive Director.
“These conversations are crucial to addressing the widening gap in Indigenous cancer outcomes, both here in Australia and overseas. I look forward to being part of these discussions, witnessing a process of agenda-setting, and supporting the work that comes next.”
The themes of the conference are process, progress, and power, with confirmed keynote speakers including:
WICC 2024 builds on the momentum, discussions, and collaborations from the first two World Indigenous Cancer Conferences held in Australia (2016) and Canada (2019).
In a first for a conference of this kind, WICC 2024 will host a dedicated forum for Indigenous Elders and youth on the Sunday before the conference begins. This special forum will bring an intergenerational perspective to the conference agenda.
The conference will include traditional presentations, and a yarning circle running throughout to allow the informal exchange of ideas and stories—a vital part of building connections across the international cancer care community. Plans to showcase Indigenous Australian cultural practices, artwork, dance, and music to international delegates are also rapidly progressing.
While significant progress has been made in cancer control across Australia in recent decades, outcomes for Indigenous Australians remain concerningly behind those for non-Indigenous Australians—in fact, the gap is widening.
On average, Indigenous Australians are 14 per cent more likely to be diagnosed with cancer, and 20 per cent less likely to survive at least five years after diagnosis, compared with non-Indigenous Australians. Survival for Indigenous Australians also remains lower in regional and remote areas than in metropolitan centres.
Early bird tickets close 15 December, 2023.
