Princess Dina Mired delivers keynote speech at the UN special hearing session for non-communicable diseases

HRH Princess Dina Mired, Director General of the King Hussein Cancer Foundation (KHCF), delivered a keynote speech at the opening session of the UN Civil Society informal interactive hearing in New York on June 16, 2011. 

This meeting came at a crucial time as non-communicable diseases (NCDs) – which include cancer, heart disease, diabetes and chronic respiratory illnesses - have long been overlooked, despite the fact that they are responsible for more global deaths than all other causes combined. 

The UN Civil Society hearing is a major part of the preparatory process for the United Nations high-level meeting on NCDs which will be held on September 19-20, 2011. Non-governmental organizations, civil societies, academia and the private sector all gathered at the hearing to determine a united, focused strategy for the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases to be recommended at the UN summit meeting. 

During her speech, Princess Dina emphasized the importance of addressing NCDs, particularly in the developing world where nearly 80% of the deaths attributed to NCDs occur. She highlighted the importance of the upcoming UN summit in September, saying “This is our chance to address all the risk factors causing NCDs – tobacco, alcohol abuse, physical inactivity, sugars, fats and salts in food. It is our time to press for NCD prevention programs to be incorporated into health care systems and to ensure that affordable care is available for the treatment of cancer, heart disease, diabetes and respiratory chronic illnesses. In short, this summit meeting is our greatest opportunity to secure a place for NCDs on the global agenda and to focus world leaders on the urgency of the matter at hand”. 

While in New York, Her Highness also delivered a keynote speech at a separate Gala Dinner organized by the American Cancer Society under the title “We Can, We Should, We Will Conquer Cancer”, and met with several international cancer organizations and private companies to encourage collaborations with the King Hussein Cancer Foundation and Center. 

 It is worth mentioning that HRH Princess Dina Mired is an Honorary Co-President of Harvard University Global Task Force for Expanded Access to Cancer Control and Care in the Developing World. She is also on the Presidential Advisory Panel of the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) and is an Ambassador of the UICC World Cancer Declaration Ambassadors Program. Princess Dina is a LIVESTRONG Global Envoy for the Lance Armstrong Foundation and an Honorary Member of the Mediterranean Task Force for Cancer Control in Italy.