US embassy cable - 05GENEVA1668

UNCLAS GENEVA 001668 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR IO/T AND NEA 
PASS TO HHS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OTRA, KPAL, TAGS, WHO 
SUBJECT: WHO: 58TH WORLD HEALTH ASSEMBLY: ANNUAL MEETING OF 
THE MIDDLE EAST CANCER CONSORTIUM (MECC) MINISTERIAL 
STEERING COMMITTEE 
 
REF: STATE 82773 
 
1.  U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Michael 
O. Leavitt chaired the annual meeting of the Middle East 
Cancer Consortium (MECC) Ministerial Steering Committee 
during the World Health Assembly (WHA) in Geneva, 
Switzerland, May 18, 2005. Ministers of Health from Israel, 
Turkey, the Palestinian Authority, the Arab Republic of 
Egypt, the Republic of Cyprus, and the Hashemite Kingdom of 
Jordan participated in the meeting. 
 
2.  Also present for the meeting were MECC Executive Director 
Dr. Michael Silberman; MECC Chair Dr. Samir Al-Kayed; Dr. 
Benjamin O. Anderson, Program Director of the  Breast Health 
Global Initiative at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research 
Center in Seattle, Washington, and a public member of the 
U.S. Delegation to the WHA; and members of the U.S. 
Delegation to WHA including: Dr. William Steiger, Special 
Assistant to the Secretary for International Affairs (HHS) 
and Dr. Julie Gerberding, Director, HHS Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention; and Dr. Joe Harford, Associate 
Director for International Affairs, National Cancer 
Institute, HHS National Institutes of Health, who serves as 
the HHS Liaison to MECC.  This was the first opportunity for 
Secretary Leavitt and MECC colleagues to meet one another. 
 
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Most Ministers are new to the MECC; the only Minister who had 
participated in previous MECC meetings was Minister Danny 
Naveh of Israel.  As a result, much of the meeting was given 
over to personal and professional introductions. 
 
3.  Secretary Leavitt opened the meeting with the following 
prepared remarks: 
 
BEGIN QUOTE:  Good afternoon.  I would like to welcome you to 
this meeting of the Middle East Cancer Consortium.  It's an 
honor and a pleasure to join this esteemed group of 
Ministers. 
I'm looking forward to collaborating with you to reduce the 
ravages of cancer in the Middle East. ... I want to tell you 
how much I'm looking forward to building upon this 
Consortium's work.  I know it's had a record of considerable 
success, particularly in the development of cancer registries 
and the training of health providers.  I'd like to expand 
that to addressing risky behaviors, such as tobacco use, poor 
diet, and lack of physical activity.  By encouraging healthy 
habits, we could eliminate much of the suffering and death 
caused by cancer, since many cancers develop because of poor 
decisions people make. 
 
Your work is especially significant this year, given that 
cancer prevention and control is an important part of the 
Assembly's agenda.  I believe we have the opportunity here to 
discuss how the WHO and its Member States can collaborate to 
prevent cancer, improve diagnoses, and strengthen 
surveillance systems. 
 
I'd like to spend most of our time together on the 
Consortium's Ministers' vision for cancer treatment and 
prevention initiatives, and on how strong health promotion 
approaches could help our efforts.  I'd also like to hear how 
my Department as well as the Consortium could help you in 
your own countries' efforts to prevent cancer and disease. 
END QUOTE. 
 
4.    MECC Executive Director Michael Silberman asked 
Secretary Leavitt for continued HHS support of the MECC. MECC 
 
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Ministers agreed to pursue a 2005 follow-up meeting in Egypt. 
 Dr. Silberman will also explore with HHS ways to mark the 
tenth anniversary of the establishment of the MECC at the 
2006 Ministerial meeting. 
 
5.    Comment: The MECC represents an under used avenue for 
U.S. public diplomacy in the Middle East. HHS should explore 
with posts in MECC Member States and with the public 
diplomacy staff at the Department ways to use the MECC as a 
strategy of "health diplomacy" in the region. End Comment. 
Moley